


Donut Stop Me!

by Spumoni_BerryBoney



Category: Detroit: Become Human (Video Game)
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-09-01
Updated: 2019-09-01
Packaged: 2020-09-27 05:41:14
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 22,916
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20402587
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Spumoni_BerryBoney/pseuds/Spumoni_BerryBoney
Summary: It's summertime, and Hank is feeling that media pressure all over again. Adverts for beach bodies everywhere, along with medications promising "quick fixes" to get there. So when he participates, he goes in knowing that there would be some unexpected side affects.Unfortunately for him, the side affects do more than just help him look younger... Connor finds himself in the uncomfortable predicament of caring for Hank as a child, and even Sumo that got into the meds. Androids are equipped to handle any situation, no matter how bizarre. But can Connor really handle taking care of someone that completely forgot him? Who does he turn to, when the one man he always relied on isn't there to help him...?





	1. Chapter 1

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Fanfic based off of art by [MaxImproving](https://maximproving.tumblr.com/post/187407711829/donut-stop-me-the-second-piece-i-did-for-the)!!!!!

Sumo’s face rested on Connor’s thigh, big browns staring up at the android while the dog’s tail hesitantly wagged. For three years Connor had lived with Hank, and in that time Sumo never seemed to quite grasp that the android did not eat. Each day, the dog woke up fervently believing the scents of food that lingered on Connor were hidden treats just for him. As Connor reached down, massaging the dog’s ears between fingers, he offered only pets instead of pieces of meat. “Hank, what that medication promises is scientifically impossible.” This was the fifty-fourth time that the android had said this to the lieutenant sitting across from him.

The response was little more than a grunt and roll of eyes. Hank was more interested in eating his burger at the table, using only its wrapper to catch the globs of condiments that fell from each bite, than having this discussion. Again. The medication in question sat in a bottle between the two, a metaphorical wedge between the two. Promises of youth, a promise made countless times over the centuries as humanity chased the impossible dream of immortality. Hank wasn’t chasing immortality, though. He was chasing something different. A something different that made him release Connor’s hand in public when the two walked together. An action that every time left the android frowning, and Hank dodging the ‘why’ that followed.

Swallowing the most recent bite, Hank sighed while he focused his eyes on his food instead of the android across from him. With how much Connor had grown emotionally since the revolution four years ago, there were moments in which Hank forgot that the other was technically a machine. Since the pair began dating two years ago, even in their most intimate moments it was difficult to forget. Not impossible. Little details acted as reminders. The fact that Connor’s face hadn’t changed since the first day the android approached Hank in the bar being the biggest detail of them all.

“Connor. I let you investigate this place almost to death. They’ve done their research, this isn’t a scam, this is a _consensual_ and _legal_ testing phase. This isn’t going to kill me.” Hank reminded the other, containing a weary sigh he carried from how many times the two had discussed this these last few months leading to now.

“Neither will the burger kill you, right now. We don’t know the long-term effects. The testing phase can’t predict what this could be doing to you ten, twenty years from now.” Connor pressed, his logic unable to process the why and his love for Hank preventing him from silence. At the mention of the burger, Hank’s lips twitched into a smile. True, he had been eating better these last few years. Tonight was a cheat night, simply because Hank did want to eat healthier while he tried out the medication. Most of Connor’s concerns made sense, and the lieutenant shared them, as well. Not to the point he was backing out, but enough he was making conscious decisions to minimize complications.

“You know, growing up most the people around me were afraid androids were going to plot to kill all of humanity. But I’m starting to think the android vendetta is actually against a good fucking burger.” Hank laughed, shaking his head at Connor before going back to the beef of questionable sanitation. He hadn’t gotten salmonella yet, so clearly even if Chicken Feed wasn’t up to par with FDA regulations it was safe for _him_.

“I’d have fewer complaints about where you get your meals, if I ever saw Gary wash his hands after using the facilities.” Connor spoke smoothly, easily, having planned that response for at least a few days. The implication was the first time Hank paused mid-bite, brows furrowing as he contemplated potentially eating a piss-laced burger.

“Okay. You win this time.” Hank conceded, the burger out of his mouth and back into the wrapper. Connor only lied when necessary, and Hank doubted this was deemed ‘necessary.’ Even if it wasn’t true though, the idea was put into his head and unsettled his stomach too much to continue. “...You are just saying that to make me stop though, right?” Connor gave an awkward smile, reminiscent of the sort he used to give Hank when they first met. Lips not quite pulling up to his eyes, the curves lopsided as if he hadn’t quite figured out what it meant to be happy.

Oh no.

That was the truth.

“Connor. Connor, I need you to lie to me about some things. Chicken Feed’s secret ingredient being piss is one of them. Don’t tell me these things.” Soon as the word’s left Hank’s mouth, both he and Connor sat there with mouths open. “Actually.” Hank’s eyelids fluttered shut, remaining closed while he shuddered. “I heard what I said - and do please tell me about shit like that.” He requested.

“Of course.” A few laughs left Connor, his shoulders relaxing slightly. Years ago, conflicting orders were what gave his insides knots. Now it was conflicting needs and emotions. A welcome change. “I’m really not going to sway you from the medication, am I?” He asked. Hank opened his eyes, silver eyes closer to molten metal with how warm they were anytime the man looked at Connor. Smiled, his beard and mustache following the movement.

“No. But you’ve given it a good go. Want to try that being supportive thing now?” Hank offered, reaching over to grab the bottle of pills. Pills that promised helping the body in every nook and cranny down to the atoms, reworking the human form into a ‘younger’ version. Dosage with the doctor had been a month-long discussion, and by the end of all the testing and prepping Hank genuinely hoped he wasn’t in the control group. That was a shit ton of work for absolutely nothing to happen.

“Very well. I’ll support you… But only because I love you.” Connor returned Hank’s smile with one of his own, fingers moving from massaging Sumo’s ears to running fingers from the dog’s top of his skull down his neck. Pausing to scratch the dip between the animal’s shoulders blades, and ignoring the drool that pooled from the dog’s mouth onto his thighs. Saint Bernard’s were just like that.

“Yeah yeah, you only love me for my dog.” Hank chuckled, opening the bottle. The pills were bright green and solid, a tiny stamp with some number and letters that made sense to pharmacists. Certainly not to detectives. Tossed it back and swallowed it with water, all the while Connor merely watched him in silence.

“How do you feel?” Connor asked lightly, consciously keeping his shoulders down to not allow his anxiety to show in hunched shoulders.

“Like my luck would put me into the control group.” Hank answered honestly, blowing out a breath. Standing up, he wrapped up the burger to toss it into the trash can. Releasing Sumo from rubs and pets, Connor stood up as well to follow Hank into the living room. Raising a hand, and rotating his wrist in a swift motion the television sprung to life with a repeat of last season’s hockey game. Work kept both of them busy, and it wasn’t unusual for the two to miss a few games. Initially resistant to such an ‘unnecessarily violent’ game, Connor in time found himself just as invested in the teams. On three lucky occasions, Fowler allowed the two time off to go see a game for date night.

Connor never imagined cheering in a stadium, decked out in matching jerseys with Hank, to be the epitome of romantic. Somehow, he was wrong and he wouldn’t have had it any other way.

Nestling on the couch next to each other, Connor slipped his hand into Hank’s. Felt the human drop his head to lean on Connor’s shoulder, heard Hank let out a long breath. As if summoned, Sumo appeared at the couch, tongue lolling while his tail wagged with an expectant look. Patting between his own and Connor’s thigh, that was all the encouragement Sumo needed to hop on the laps and stretch out.

“You’re going to be fine.” Connor found himself saying, knowing the signs when they showed themselves that Hank needed him. Needed that support. “If it makes you too young though, you have to promise to grow out your beard again.”

“I’ve had a beard for many years, Con. Unless it takes me back to diapers, the beard is always there.” Hank assured him, grinning as he spoke. Enjoyed the soft synthetic flesh beneath flannel that was Connor’s shoulder. Made for a good pillow.

“I was not aware the human body could grow a beard at nine years of age. Very interesting.” Connor commented.

“Yeah, well, there was so much toxic masculinity in the nineties, everyone had beards. Crazy shit.” A few chuckles mingled with Hank’s words, his body melting into the couch. Their words tapered off, only speaking to occasionally exchange heated agreements about the events on the screen. As Hank had been cutting back on drinking the last few years, the outbursts he experienced also decreased.

After the game, it was time for bed. Hank’s shoulders were hurting him, so he laid down on his back with Connor next to him. The only sounds in the room was Sumo trying to get comfortable on his own bed, and an emulation of rain coming from the wireless device on Hank’s nightstand. The same device that in seven hours would be waking the human. Each time Connor offered to wake Hank instead his response was typically in line of, “Con, please don’t make me feel towards you what I feel towards an alarm clock.”

After watching Hank hit the poor thing enough times, Connor stopped offering.

Taking Hank’s hand into his own, releasing an inhale the android didn’t need to make as a contentment settled over him. Brown and blue eyes met, their faces giving a symmetry of gentle smiles. Sleep pulled Hank under swiftly, and Connor put himself into Sleep Mode.

Everything was going to be okay.... And then morning happened.

Normally, Connor was the first to wake and prepare breakfast. Somewhere during this process, Hank’s alarm would go off. The android would wait between five and ten minutes, and at that point greet his human. There would be some morning banter, a few kisses. This was the Norm. A sensor notified Connor that the body next to him moved. Perhaps the medication increased Hank’s need to urinate - the man’s previous blood pressure medicine gave him that issue. In order to not excessively worry, and by extension stress Hank out, Connor remained in the bed. Tried to not completely leave sleep mode. An eye did crack open, and in the dim lighting with just the hall light one… Did Hank’s hair simply look blonde, or was it actually blonde?

Possibly curlier, too.

Closing his eye, Connor was coming out of his sleep mode quickly. At four in the morning, Hank would be more inclined to crawl back into bed and cuddle until it was time to actually get up. A horizontal scroll across his eyelids went the mantra of, “Everything is fine, I am alive and I am above human anxiety.” The second part was a lie, but Connor consciously made sure he believed it.

Inside the shower, away from Connor’s sight, Hank released a slow exhale. He wasn’t sure who was in his bed, but the last thing he could remember was a night of heavy drinking after all the stress since the year started. Coming home with a stranger after getting blackout drunk wasn’t outside the ordinary. Hank’s head throbbed, and he stared at himself in the mirror. A twenty-eight year old face stared back at his, and for Hank, that made sense. He was nearing his thirties. Trying to cope with the fears that came with his city filing for bankruptcy. An entire city. Hank’s skull still ached thinking about it.

He needed a shower. To clean up. Shave the shadow he started growing through the night, and come up with a nice way to kick the stranger in his bed out. That part never got easy. Especially when they seemed as easy on the eyes as this one. Sucking in a breath, Hank turned on the shower. Ignored how poorly his clothes fit, because it was too early to think of anything.

The sound of the shower coming on, and the words Connor had been telling himself skipped a few beats as that confidence temporarily lost its traction. This was fine, a bit out of the ordinary but humanity in general was best skilled in surprises. Connor had to remember that. Couldn’t forget it.

A few minutes in, a loud ‘**THUMP,**’ was all it took for Connor to get out of the bed and pounding on the bathroom door. “Hank? Hank!? HANK?” Connor called, voice increasing in volume. The pulses of thirium that simulated a heart rate for him hastened, one hand knocking while the other tightly gripped the door handle. Flashes of the first time Connor entered Hank’s home came to mind, that haunting visual of the man lying prone on the floor a cold reminder of life and how short it could be.

If Hank slipped on soap and…

That confidence long since washed away and replaced with good old fashioned fear, Connor used the blessed strength that CyberLife granted him to snap the lock on the door.

Emotionally, Connor had braced himself for witnessing yet another occasion of Hank unconscious on the floor. Possibly blood. Instead what he saw gave him pause, and Connor tripped over his feet and barely caught himself on the wall. Brown eyes stared down, wide, comprehension on pause because the world just stopped making sense in an instant.

Tangled in a towel, sky blue eyes the size of the sun staring back at the android brimming with years, was a child. Going by estimates of height, roughly five years of age. Skin tanned from time spent outside, time that potentially did not exist because this kid just popped into existence as far as Connor could tell. Curly blonde hair was wet and clung to the boy’s face, and Hank was nowhere to be seen.

_There’s a strange child in our bathroom_, was the first cohesive thought to come to mind. The rest remained jumbled and disoriented, and Connor’s insides were starting to feel hot from the amount of processing power he was automatically dedicating to making sense of what he was seeing.

“...These clothes don’t fit me.” The boy informed Connor, the first to break the silence. He spoke matter-of-factly, as if he had attempted to put on the oversized shirt and pants. Addressed Connor as though this situation was perfectly normal, and the steadiness of the boy’s voice grounded the android for the moment. Immediately, Connor began a scan. Put the boy’s image into facial recognition software, trying to track down who this kid was. Noted the red welt on the boy’s head, peeking between curls turned gold from the water weighing it down on his skin.

Search results pulled several images, but one stuck out as impossible: an old photo, blurry and pulled from an ancient Throwback Thursday Facebook post. Clearly taken with a disposable camera, back when film was processed at every corner store during the eighties and nineties. It was shared by Jeffrey Fowler, commenting about how young he and Hank looked in the picture.

Hank.

Hank, aged five.

_His_ Hank, _Connor’s_ Hank. Impossibly young. All Connor could think, all he could manage to say was, “You do not still have a beard.” A non-sequitar that gave grounds for the child to frown at Connor, his brows pushing the only wrinkles onto his face.

“No duh?” The young Hank responded, shaking his head and causing droplets to go flying. There was also a pool of water at his feet.

“Hank?” Connor finally tried, grasping at the irrational answer but only real explanation.

“I’m _Henry_.” The child corrected, rolling his eyes. “Where’s my clothes?” The boy pressed, giving the sort of over-dramatic sigh only a kid could pull off.

“Clothes. Right. Right!” Connor nodded his head once, twice, and reminded himself to simulate breathing because not doing so unsettled humans. “So… Henry.” The android tried again, addressing the child by his preferred name, “Do you know who I am?” He asked, keeping his voice soft and calm. He was an android. The finest and latest to be sent by CyberLife. There were protocols with dealing with children. Connor could do this. As an android designed for solving crimes, he could just use his detective skills to put together facts. To get this all squared away.

“I ‘unno, my babysitter? Like _I_ can keep track of all you…” Henry grumbled, his patience with Connor refusing to meet his most basic of demands thinning. The glares that children provided were typically adorable, but the situation was too weird. The downward tilt of Henry’s skull combined with how he narrowed his eyes, it looked too eerily similar to when Hank got annoyed with Gavin going off on one of his anti-android tangents. But in micro-human form.

“All of us?” Connor echoed, slowly straightening himself to stand proper instead of leaning on the wall. There was no response to his inquiry, only an unimpressed glare from a five-year old. All of this required way too much to unpack right then, and though catering to a kid was not part of Connor’s programming, he could not argue Henry was in the right at the moment.

_Focus on the positive. He’s at least outgrown that nudist stage a lot of kids tend to go through_, Connor reminded himself. Fighting with a strange kid, that may or may not have been Hank, to wear clothing was not Connor’s idea of a good time. “I’ll go see what I can find.” Connor said shortly, backing out of the bathroom and wondering what they could possibly use. Henry still had some childhood chubbiness to him, but he was way too small to comfortably use one of Hank’s shirts without it trying to fall off him. One of Connor’s shirts would work better, for no other reason than the collar was smaller and less likely to slip. If he combined that with the clothespins that Hank kept around for bags of chips, yes, that seemed a reasonable route.

There was another crash.

Connor was afraid to see the source this time.

It had better not be another strange child.

Following the source of the sound, Connor made his way down the hall. Felt dread fill him, noting the lack of a Sumo getting up to investigate with him. The sound came from the kitchen. Even more suspicious. Any sounds that came from the kitchen, there was always a Sumo eager to discover why. Stopping where the living room transitioned into the kitchen, it was all Connor could do to stare. Running across the floor, tongue hanging out, dog food everywhere on the tile, a Saint bernard puppy was hungrily working on cleaning up every pellet of the mess. On the ground, next to the fridge, was a bottle with the cap undone and a few bright green pills next to it.

“Sumo?” Connor whispered, body lowering to the ground as he extended a hand out to the puppy. The animal ignored him, far more interested in inhaling all the food. “Sumo?” The android repeated, louder, tilting his head slightly towards the hallway that led to the bedroom. Silence greeted him, instead of the booming bark of an excited dog. “Oh no. Oh no. Oh no, no no no no…” Connor groaned, standing up and hurriedly making his way to the bottle and pills. With a curved hand, he quickly scooped them all up. Ran a scan to make sure no others were left behind. Medication sealed, this time properly, Connor pocketed it to prevent any tiny fingers or dog tongues from accessing it.

This was it, the defining evidence: whatever the medication promised, it was delivering far beyond what it was supposed to. Grabbing the broom, Connor hurriedly cleaned up the food bits from the kitchen, using his foot to try and softly nudge Sumo away from it to avoid accidentally stepping on the animal. Whines came from the puppy, all of his food was swept away by the cruel human-looking but not quite smelling person. Paws far too big for it, ears flopping this way and that, the young Sumo looked absolutely comical as he toddled around and after Connor. Desperate to put more food into his belly than could possibly fit.

With a puppy actively trying to be under Connor’s feet, when he turned around Henry was standing in the living room. Still wrapped in the towel, tracking a trail of water behind him, curiously inspecting his ‘new’ surroundings. After the android moved in, the state of the house had drastically improved. Not just because of Connor demanding Hank have an environment that helped his mood, but Hank himself couldn’t just sit back and allow Connor to be in a ‘nasty stank-ass house.’ Even that infamous window that Connor broke all those years ago had been remodeled, painted. New glass and window sill installed, better at retaining the heat or cold depending on the seasonal need. Work jackets were tossed carelessly on the back of the couch, and shoes were piled next to the door instead of on the racks for them. That aside, the house couldn’t be called filthy anymore. A pensive look took hold of Henry’s face, as he assessed and judged his surroundings. By the wrinkles between his brows, it was a rather strict assessment from him.

Or it was, until finally those blues landed on the stumbling mass of fur that was puppy Sumo. It was the sort of love at first sight that only existed between children and their first pets. Henry’s eyes went wide, his lower jaw falling slack. That critical and unimpressed visage was wiped away, Henry no longer able to do anything but point at the puppy with a growing excitement.

“Is it yours?! What’s his name?” Henry asked, words leaving him in a rush as he almost tripped on the towel he covered himself in so he could get closer to the dog. Tail wagging, whines leaving Sumo, the puppy cared little about the child at the moment.

“He’s - yes, mine. Just got him.” Connor disliked lying for a multitude of reasons. He absolutely would and could if necessary, and trying to explain the reality to a five-year old was practice in futility. Connor was still grappling with what was happening, and he was an android. Built with the world’s knowledge a mere mental search away. “His name is Sumo.” The best lies were built on a foundation of truths.

“Sumo?” Henry stopped short, just long enough to look up at Connor with the corner of his mouth tugging downwards, both brows following suit. “Seriously?”

“Yes.” Connor had since cooled off from overworking his systems trying to make sense of their situation earlier, but a false heat flared up around his neck. Henry’s words, the way he rolled his eyes at the name, Connor couldn’t stop the defensive nature that came to him. The kid didn’t know. Had no idea that as an adult, he would get this dog for the son he would eventually have. The son that chose the name, that felt Sumo was unequivocally Sumo and no other name would work. Connor never got the chance to meet Cole, but the boy had come to mean the world to him because even after all these years, Cole was still a big part of Hank’s. Nostrils flaring, Connor reminded himself the boy couldn’t help that he didn’t know.

Henry didn’t even know who Connor was.

He didn’t… Know. The heat dissipated into a cold pang, that in a single night everything he and Hank had was gone. Connor needed answers - now. “We’re going to get you some clothes. Your…” The android paused, nothing in his memory banks of Hank discussing his childhood, his family. If Connor ever tried to pry, Hank would only allow divulging a few things about Cole. A few things about Captain Fowler, and their adventures together. Nothing about his parents. The whole, ‘many babysitters,’ was suddenly very telling about why the silence.

“You seriously forgot my mom’s name? Dude, what’s your damage? No clothes, no breakfast, don’t even remember her name… At least you have a dog.” Henry’s grumblings returned, that brief respite of seeing a puppy quickly eclipsed by Connor’s apparent ignorance.

“I haven’t taken any dam-... Ah. Eighties lingo.” Connor quickly logged an update, trying to make mental stickies to himself to incorporate the slang that would be more familiar to a five-year old Hank. “Your mother dropped you off here in a hurry this morning, you were still asleep. Forgot your clothes. We’ll need to buy you some-”

“You will need to. I don’t got money.” Henry corrected him mid-sentence.

“...Of course. I will text… That is, _page_… Hold on.” Connor held up a finger, taking multiple pauses as he spoke while his systems provided reminding prompts that cell phones were few and far between in the late eighties. Thus, texting was not exactly a thing at the time. Verifying that yes, pagers were more prevalent in the eighties, the android resumed, “I will page your mother to pay me back. For now, you can at least wear one of my shirts.” He informed the child, and then reached down to grab Sumo underneath his front legs. Leading the puppy towards Henry, he released his hold in order for the boy to immediately wrap the animal in his towel.

“Gotcha!” And with that, Henry lost all interest in what Connor was going on about. There was a puppy to be played with. Going through a mental catalog of everything that Hank and him owned, Connor was already planning for the drive. Sumo’s collar no longer fit him, but slipping through clip of the leash through the loop for the hand would provide an adjustable one. Connor just had to be extra mindful that he did not tug on the leash to ensure he didn’t harm the small animal. Rummaging through the drawers that was his, Connor scanned the dimensions of his few shirts to determine which one was the smallest. Grabbing a black shirt with the _Knights of the Black Death’s_ most recent album art featured prominently across the front, Connor took some consolation that the hyper-masculine cartoons of the 80s would predispose a young boy’s mind to enjoy violent imagery. The only consolation that could be had given the unhealthy long-term effects of encouraging that sort of fixation.

Returning to the living room Connor heard Henry whining, “_Gross_, stop licking my feet.” At least the two were getting along still.

“This is the best I can do for you.” Connor apologized, squatting down so he was closer to eye-level with Henry. Holding out the black shirt, the android glanced from the boy to the puppy. Sumo was trying to lick the water droplets from Henry’s shower off his leg, and the boy was repeatedly using his foot to nudge the dog away. Reaching forward, Connor wrapped his hand beneath the dog’s front paws and pulled him away. “I’ll get him ready while you dry off and put that on.” He instructed Henry, standing up and carrying Sumo with him to the kitchen. There was a bucket full of Sumo’s things. Since it was summer, Sumo had no need for his snow boots or winter jackets. All the winter gear had already been put away into storage, and would stay there until fall was getting a bit too chilly. Sumo’s bucket of possessions was a bit emptier, but was still full of toys, had his leashes and collars, his own jersey, and a few other items that Connor convinced Hank that Sumo absolutely needed. Sunglasses, a few hats (including a birthday one, because Sumo’s birthday was a national holiday in the Anderson house), and a brush.

The smallest leash in hand, Connor looped it before pulling the hole over the puppy’s head. Sumo’s small tail wagged, tongue lolling, and seemed perfectly content with being held. The world looked very different from on high in his puppy vision, and as Connor turned Sumo pulled back in his tongue to try and take in the sudden movement. In a few strides the two were back in the living room, where Henry stood wearing a shirt and frowning. “Why can’t I just wear my jammies?” He asked.

“You were half-asleep, and fell in one of Sumo’s pee puddles.” The lie fell from Connor’s lips easily, and the benefit of being an android was that he knew how to simulate being truthful in order to throw off a human if necessary. Henry scrunched up his nose, leaned his head as far back as he could, and stared at the android with a scrutinizing expression.

“Why do you let him pee in the house?” Henry asked, raising his hand up for Connor to take and begin leading the two out of the house. See? This was going to be easy. Given the bizarre situation, Connor was glad. He could handle this. One small child and a puppy. Two pieces of cake.

“He’s not house trained yet.” What he said registered with each word, and Connor suppressed a very human desire to groan at the reality. All right, so there was one complication. But Sumo was still a puppy, and the puddles wouldn’t be too big. Spotting the oldsmobile when the trio got outside, Henry’s face lit up spotting the lights on top of the car.

“Shotgun!” Henry announced eagerly, bolting to the car and trying to open the locked door. The sort of reaction was a bit too excited for Connor’s comfort. Walking around to the driver’s side, Connor took out his copy of the keys and opened his side.

Hank’s car was something of a pride of his. When Cole was maybe two, Hank had bought the oldsmobile as a junker to work on with his son. In his mind, everyone should know how to do basic repairs on a car. Most vehicles drove on auto, and demanded some form of computer to work with so Hank was pleased to find something old that didn’t need any of that. Naturally, Cole held no interest in cars whatsoever. The oldsmobile became a pet project between Jeff and Hank, and one drunken night the two decided it would be absolutely hilarious to transform it into a fully functional police car. Even as Hank and Jeff told Connor their fuzzy memory of that decision together, the two were laughing through tears. All Connor could do was smiling politely, because at the time it seemed to be a humor only humans understood.

Or perhaps it was millennial humor. When a majority of one’s friends were millennial humans, it was sometimes difficult to discern how much of the jokes were generational and how much were just an aspect of being flesh.

“Just. Can you fuckin’ imagine? You’re flying down the interstate, and suddenly this ancient dad car is flying after you with the lights? And they’re trying to get the engine to cut off like they do with the fancy new shit the DPD is using, and it ain’t fucking working because it’s an oldsmobile.” Hank had been laughing, his face somewhat red from the whiskey he had been sipping on with Jeff.

“Now imagine if it was a station wagon. With the wood paneling on it.” Came Jeff’s contribution, and then the two started laughing more.

Connor missed his Hank, now inside the car and trying to keep Henry from pushing buttons. In the backseat Sumo was on the floor, sniffing out crumbs and anything else the vacuum Connor took to it last week missed. The knowledge that Sumo, as a puppy, if he had not already had an accident somewhere in the house could possibly have one in the car. Ensuring Henry was buckled in, Connor clicked into place his own seatbelt. Safety first. Henry was tall enough to not need a carseat, of which was a relief because there was no way that Connor could just leave the child unattended while he went to buy one. Car on, reverse in place, and Connor internally dialed the number he saved for the lab.

“_This is the office of You in **You**thful. If this is a medical emergency, please hang up and dial 911_…” The automated message played, and it was to Connor’s chagrin as he drove that he could not simply override it with hacking. When the option to speak to a representative came on, he selected.

“What kind of cassette player is this?” Henry was asking, leaning forward in his seat and poking at the antique radio in the oldsmobile. It was a radio that Jeff and Hank had found, one of which the two were immensely proud of. Still in functional condition it was equipped to play CDs, cassettes, and had an auxiliary slot for the appropriate cord.

“New, not on the market yet. My job is a product tester. I’m one of the average Joes that big companies ask if everyone will like.” Connor lied, waiting for someone to answer the phone. The wait was killer.

“Oh. What does this button do?” Henry asked, shifting to try and reach a tiny finger to one of the dials on the car panels. One of which was labeled, ‘lights.’ Henry knew exactly what he was about to push, and Connor maintained one hand on the wheel while the other took the child’s wrist.

“Don’t push that.” Connor directed, “It’ll scare someone on the road, and could cause a wreck.” Children liked explanations, and he reasoned if he provided one perhaps Henry would let it drop.

“_This is the office of You in **You**thful, Jolene speaking. How may I assist you today?_” A woman’s voice, chipper and happy inquired. “But I wanna push one of the buttons!” Henry complained during the second half of what the woman said. If Connor was not an android, the juggling of conversations he was about to have would have been much more complicated. Driving, babysitting, and two conversations. Sucking in a deep breath he didn’t need, Connor plunged ahead while keeping a gentle hold on the child’s hand.

“_Hello, I am Connor the andro-... That is, Hank Anderson’s partner. I would like to report an unexpected side affect your pill has had on my Hank._” An internal audio routed Connor’s response to Jolene, to keep Henry from overhearing and asking questions. The entirety of the call was internal, the sounds routed directly through Connor’s systems. “I will oblige you to press a few after you are clothed and fed, when we return home. This way no one will get hurt. Does this sound fair?”

“How long is that gonna be?” Henry whined, body slumping as he fell backwards towards his seat. Connor released his hold, keeping watch on tiny hands from his peripheral in case this act was a ruse. _I can do this_, Connor reminded himself as he stopped the car at a red light. “To remain in compliance with HIPAA, I will need to ask a few questions to validate your identity.” Jolene said, her voice going into an almost automated drone when she spoke. Was Connor talking to another android, or just a burnt out human secretary?

“Hopefully not long.” Connor dodged the answer, his estimates based on factors that existed in a world that made sense. Not in a world in which his significant other was suddenly a child. The Hank he was dating simply ceased to exist, and in his place was a boy who had no idea about androids or even compact discs. In the backseat, there was the sound of Sumo regurgitating everything he had eaten that morning. Connor’s mouth turned into a thin line, answering Jolene’s questions, and Henry laughed a long, drawn, “Ahaha, that’s gnarly.”

_Gnarly_. What a weird word for Henry to use. Was he a child that liked to go surfing? Was surf culture part of Hank’s past? “_All right, Connor. What side effects would you like to report?_” Jolene inquired.

“_Hank Anderson is now a _five-year old **child**_, and I need to know how to fix this_.” Connor cut straight to the point.

“_Oh. Uh_.” Jolene faltered in her response. “_So… Says here you’re an android. That explains the ‘I have everything under control,’ I hear in the background. Thought it was just the line, haha_.” Jolene rambled, and Connor’s grip on the steering wheel tightened. Embarrassment about her overhearing his mantra could wait, this representative was avoiding answering him! “_So, you see, uhm. You’re the first person to report this? I’m going to need to know what Hank ate, how much he took, what liquids he consumed. Was there any strange behavior prior to the shrinkage?_”

“_He did not _shrink_, he is an actual_ child.” Connor corrected her, a sternness to his voice that made her end go silent. With that, he relayed everything to her. Every detail of yesterday, how much Hank took. Everything. There was perhaps too much information, and Connor didn’t trust her to not catch everything. As he pulled into the parking lot of a store, the android put the vehicle into park. Quickly compiling an email, Connor submitted it to You in **You**thful’s inbox in a structured, bullet-list style list.

The car’s sirens went off, blue and red lights flashing above them and Connor reacted by slamming his foot on the break despite the car being in park, while his right arm flew over to push Henry into his seat. The LED on Connor’s right temple was flickering between blue and yellow, his lower jaw locking as he rationalized and calmed the panic that pulsed through him. Since it was early, there were not very many people in the parking lot. Just an older couple, pausing in their walk to the store in the very human reaction to police lights. In his seat, Henry was laughing in delight both at what he had accomplished, and Connor’s face.

“Your tattoo lights up!” Henry exclaimed. As the sirens continued their wails, in the backseat the young Sumo began a soft howl. The boy’s laughter subsided, his grin becoming wary as he noticed the man’s chest was not rising or falling. “Mister…?”

_Humans breathe_, Connor reminded himself, and just as quickly he sucked in a deep breath. Nor did I tell him my name, the android realized and ignored the clenched feeling inside of his chest. “Connor. Mister Connor.” The android informed the boy, certain to attach the ‘mister’ to add an extra layer of detachment to the surreal day he was having. Releasing his hold on the boy, Connor flicked off the sirens. The sound ended abruptly, and Sumo’s tiny howls tapered off within seconds. Glancing back and down, Connor couldn’t stop the slight smile seeing the puppy eagerly wagging his tail, very proud of joining in the hijinks that just happened.

The old couple that paused had since resumed walking, already inside the store.

“...Did I make you super mad just now?” Henry inquired, leaning to the right and closer to the door. Eyes wary, and full of an investigative curiosity.

“No. Were you trying to?” Connor asked, his voice steady only because he was an android.

“Noooo…” Henry lied, quite obviously at that. The way he turned his head, blue eyes determined to look around them instead of at the man that was currently his caretaker.

This was not how Connor foresaw tending to Hank later down the years, when the man’s body struggled to take care of itself with age. This was exactly backwards how he saw it. The age of resting boundaries with caretakers, and getting a feel for how much power Connor could actually use. Henry wanted to see how much he could get away with around this ‘new’ babysitter. The android watched the child, quietly mulling over the best course of action. Most of Connor’s immediate files were how to help children say what they saw or experienced after a traumatic experience.

This was just a five-year old being a five-year old. Or what seemed to be a five-year old.

“You know, curiosity isn’t a terrible thing. Through curiosity, humanity had asked many questions and made even more discoveries.” Connor paused, trying to find the right wording. To expressing potential consequences, without placing guilt on a little boy’s shoulders. “I encourage it… In the right situations. It’ll be difficult taking you to do fun things, if I can’t feel safe that you won’t let your curiosity get you or someone else hurt.” Was that the right thing to say? He hoped so. Would any of this have long-term effects? Or was this all permanent?

The sensation of thirium clogging in his chest, shifting as though to rise from his esophagus rose at the thought of having to raise Hank. Connor wasn’t sure he could do it.

“That wasn’t gonna hurt no one…” Henry grumbled, a sour look on his face and this time he absolutely refused to look at the android. _I should know if this is the proper response - why can’t I compute whether it is or not?_ Connor thought, pushing the anxiety down along with the guilt. No child was always happy.

“Police sirens can startle people. There was an older couple - what if one fell?” Connor pointed out, and with a breath undid his seatbelt. Reached around to scoop up Sumo. Sweet, precious Sumo who was all too happy to reach forward with his front paws as though expectant to be carried around. “Come on. Stick close, and I’ll let you pick something out for Sumo, too. Fair?” The android asked, hoping to find some kind of compromise. If he demanded Henry to listen to him simply due to him being older, the child would inevitably rebel. If a reward was involved, perhaps Connor could coax him into being more willing in general.

“Anything?” Henry asked, sticking his tongue out between gaping and uneven teeth as a grin made its way onto his face.

“Anything I can afford.” Connor rectified, smiling softly as he got out of the car. In a fluffy, Henry followed suit. The two went into the store, and received many stares. Whispers followed the trio, all of which were judgemental. For his part, whenever he heard them Henry stuck his tongue out at the strangers that were particularly audible. If he tried to tell them to, “shut yer piehole,” the android had to struggle to keep a straight face and ask Henry to not use that sort of language.

“Ask them nicely.” Connor added instead. Henry got a surprisingly devilish smile for an angelic face at that.

“_Please_ close yer piehole - thank you!” Henry sang to them, taking big steps that bordered on lunges as he walked, swinging his arms at his sides. The clothing section was organized by size and style, Henry hurrying up and down the aisles with growing confusion. “Where’s the boys’ section???” He asked.

“This is just a kids’ section.” Connor answered, tilting his head to the side. “It’s easier to see everything they have, isn’t it?”

“But I don’t want girl clothes. I want boy clothes!” Henry huffed, crossing his arms over his chest while glowering at all the organized clothes.

“If you’re a boy, if it fits you then isn’t it automatically ‘boy clothes?’” Connor hoped that reasoning would work. That Henry was still young enough to accept simple answers to simple things, instead of resisting something simply because it was a change. The boy stared up at Connor, lips pursed together in a frown. Sucking in breaths and saliva, Henry made weird sounds as he considered what the android said.

“So… If I wear a dress, and call myself a boy, then it’s boy clothes?” Henry tried, leaning his head to the side so he could continue watching Connor from the corner of his eyes. Waiting to see what kind of reactions he got, if any. There were none, other than an indifferent shrug.

“By the logic I gave, then yes. If that is what you wish to wear, we can get that for you.” Connor assured him, leaving that window open for the child if he wanted to go that route. The suspicious gaze fell, and for the first time Henry was staring at Connor with surprise. Mouth falling open, he blinked rapidly for several seconds.

“Oh. Okay. I don’t want to wear a dress, though.” Henry admitted, looking down and shuffling his feet.

“That’s fine.” Connor gave an encouraging nod, and… Was it just him, or did Henry seem a bit older? His hair was definitely longer, and the shirt was still oversized but maybe not as much as it had been.

Henry was getting bigger, slowly.

“One request, though - could you get something baggy? To grow into.” Connor blurted out, adjusting his hold on Sumo as the dog shifted in his arms. The puppy put his nose to the air, pupils dilating as someone walked by with a box of fried chicken. The pair spent several minutes, and Henry tried on several outfits. By the time he found something he liked, they had to go up a few extra sizes. It was a purple shirt with bright colours on it, a pink frosted doughnut, and the lettering of, ‘Donut Stop Me’ in a rainbow assortment. To go with it, he had some baggy gray pants and sneakers that were much too big.

Connor knew that could result in problems if Henry wore his shoes like that for extended periods, but a few hours should be all right. In the meantime, it made running off a difficult venture for the excitable… Probably six or seven-year old now.

Naturally, they had to stop in the pet area before paying and leaving. Two different harnesses took priority. One for the time being, that could be adjusted as Sumo grew. A second for when Sumo outgrew it, that was also adjustable. Henry selected a Batman costume. The wallet said no, but Connor had promised and he wanted to establish that trust in addition to a reward. As they waited in line to check out, the internal phone Connor had began to ring.

Captain Fowler.

“_Hey, Con? I’ve been trying to reach Hank all morning, is everything okay?_” The captain, audible only to Connor. The android autpiloted on everything, except the conversation and keeping tabs on Henry.

“_Hank is… Not quite himself currently._” Connor informed him, glancing down at the boy who was trying to make sense of all the cartoon characters in the 2050s instead of the ones he grew up with from the eighties. From the nineties?

“_Is he sick? Do you need me to grab something for him?_” The captain pressed, worry in his voice. Captain Fowler, or simply Jeff outside of work, had been close friends with Hank for years. Not telling him seemed improper. Like keeping a secret from someone that had been there, supporting him and Hank’s relationship from the beginning. Cheering them on. Helping Connor try out new styles that weren’t the pressed and steamed designs of CyberLife. Telling Connor that yes, the polo shirt looked fine on him. Sure, try on that bowtie, that Jeff knew Connor could rock it.

“_DoYoKnowA LotAboutChildrenJeffBecauseHankIsAKidAndIDon’tThinkHeLikesMe_.” Connor’s confession blurted out, a slew of words and sounds that would have fit perfectly on an infomercial for medication that was fitting more side-affects into a ten-second time slot than could reasonably fit.

“...What in the fresh Hell did you just say?” Jeff asked, his tone difficult to read because right then Henry was running back to the car, bouncing and pointing and begging to be allowed to turn on the sirens because there weren’t ‘any nearly dead old ladies,’ around to ‘give heart attacks to.’

Were all kids like this, or was Henry’s child mind a product of his time?

“_I’m bringing Hank to the station_.” Connor informed him instead, and he allowed Henry into the car. Placing Sumo into the backseat once more, the android sucked in a deep breath. Turned to the child. “Turn on the sirens. We’re going to a police station to arrest bad guys.” Connor announced.

Henry sparkled, and in that moment of the bright side, glowing blue eyes, and watching the boy bounce Connor understood why Hank wanted to have Cole.

By rA9, Connor suddenly wanted to ask Hank if they could adopt a kid together.

But he didn’t, because right then Hank was a child.

Being reminded quickly killed the desire, and Connor tightened his grip on the steering wheel. Sirens lit, and the Oldsmobile hit the road straight to the DPD.

Turning on Knights of the Black Death for Henry, there was some respite in watching how elated the boy got about headbanging to heavy metal while shredding the air guitar with clumsy fingers. In the backseat, Sumo was howling and wagging his tail along. “HE’S OUR NEW LEAD SINGER!” Henry laughed.

When they rolled up, Gavin was outside talking with Tina. “What’s the tincan up to now?” Gavin grumbled, huffing at their arrival in spite of Tina’s much friendlier waving towards the familiar vehicle. The two watched Connor get out, and Tina’s wave slowed to a halt. Frowning, she leaned forward on the tips of her toes trying to see where Hank was. The two came to the precinct together, not separately.

Instead of Hank, there was a child and a rather fluffy Saint Bernard puppy. Tina glanced at Gavin, of whom was frowning and returning her stare right back at her. “Did they mention anything about adopting to you?” Tina inquired, and Gavin quickly shook his head no. Curiosity was what pulled the two to following after Connor, the child, and the dog.

“_Jeff, I need to borrow you_.” Connor messaged the man. “Meet me in Interrogation Cell Zero Three.” The android had already gone into the system and could see the room was free. On his heels was Henry, eyes large and grin impossibly wide as he commented on everything they passed while holding tightly onto the android’s hand. Along the way there was a somewhat damaged android, and Connor tugged Henry quickly trying to prevent the child from seeing it.

“Robocop is real…” Henry whispered, awe and wonder in his voice. The damaged android barely reacted with offense before Connor pulled the child away.

When they got into the room, Jeff was already there. He was sitting at the table, flipping through paperwork with his cell phone next to him with notifications going off. Jeff glanced up hearing the door, and then his eyes went back to the paper. A second later, his entire head snapped up watching a familiar blonde child run into the room and immediately began putting his hands on the one-way mirror. “Oooooh, cool!” Henry whirled around, open-mouthed smiling towards Connor. “Can I be bad cop? Please? Pretty please?!” He begged.

“You can be bad cop, and Sumo can be good cop after I talk with Captain Fowler.” Connor compromised, setting the puppy down. Sumo landed with his nose to the floor, taking in deep breaths and sniffing around the room happily. Still sitting at the table was Jeff, mouth hanging open in disbelief.

“My best friend’s last name is Fowler!” Henry contributed happily, looking towards Jeff just long enough to wave and blow the man’s mind even more. Jeff slowly turned his head from the boy, to stare at Connor. Shakily raising a hand, Jeff pointed at Henry.

“Is that… Is that _Hank_?” Jeff stammered out, screwing his eyes shut tightly before forcing them open once more.

“He goes by Henry now. Or, then?” Connor fumbled with the tense, uncertain how to combine past and present.

“Henry. _Henry_. Shit, haven’t heard that in years.” Jeff muttered, turning himself back to resume staring in disbelief at Henry. Eyes not once leaving the boy, he grabbed his phone and texted Connor without so much as glancing once at what he was doing. Where Hank struggled with his cell phone, Jeff was a pro.

“_His mom called him Hank, but the brats at school called him ‘Hankerchief.’ He hated it. Made everyone call him Henry, even his mom. Didn’t go by Hank until after we graduated._” Came Jeff’s swift explanation. “Unbelievable. Is he stuck like this?” The man asked, whispering as he observed. Henry finally left the window, following around after Sumo and pretending the two were a detective duo.

“I don’t think so. He’s grown since.” Connor spoke quietly, crossing one arm over his stomach and resting the elbow of his other on top of the wrist. His fingers were emulating as though a coin were rolling between them, subconsciously toying with nothing.

“How does this even happen?” Jeff asked. “How did Hank go from… Him, to… Well, him.” And to further his point, Jeff motioned towards the boy. “And is that Sumo?”

“The lid on the anti-aging pill is not as child-proof as it claimed.” Connor explained. His intention had been to help Jeff understand what happened with the dog, but a laugh left him when he caught the double meaning to his words. “The medication isn’t child-proof… Hah. Oooh, Jeff. Is this even legal?” The android asked.

“I feel like anything that can forcefully turn someone into a child is a hundred times shady, and unethical. So, no, when I get through with them, absolutely not.” With that, Jeff stood up. “I’m taking care of this.” Gathering his papers, he sent a sidelong look to the android. “You got him under control?”

“Of course I do!” Connor’s reply was hurried, determined to assuage everyone’s concerns about whether he had it under control or not. Because he did. He absolutely did. Jeff stared at him, narrowing his eyes.

“Mmhmm. You’ll call me if you need me, right?” Jeff pressed, and naturally Connor nodded his head.

“Can we play cops now?” Henry asked, shoulders slumping while his head lolled from left to right.

“Yes, absolutely.” Connor nodded. Jeff opened the door, and yelled loudly in anger when he was pushed to the side by Gavin charging in while pointing a finger wildly.

“THAT’S Hank?!” Gavin demanded, his voice loud and full of disbelief.

“What the shit, Reed?!” Jeff snarled. Realization dawned on Gavin, that the man he just shoved aside wasn’t some random co-worker: it was his boss.

“Oh… Hey, Captain Fowler.” Gavin forced a smile and laugh, backpedaling away from the larger man. “Were you aware you have a child and a dog in here?”

“I’m _Henry_, you Fart-Knocker!” Henry yelled, stamping his foot. “I wanna play cops! You promised!” He continued, cheeks puffing out as the adults around him continuing to talk, talk, talk! All they did was talk!

“Did he seriously just call me a _Fart_-Knocker?” Gavin asked, chuckles breaking into his words.

“I will knock your ass down, Detective.” Jeff said in warning, and Gavin immediately straightened up. “Now do your job, and play cops with the child. Congrats, you got promoted from precinct child to precinct babysitter.” Placing a hand square on Gavin’s chest, Jeff pushed the detective to the side before marching out of the room on his war path to the drug company that did this.

In the ensuing silence, Henry looked over to Gavin. His face was that of pity. There was no greater insult in the entirety of the world far as Gavin was concerned, than having a six-year old Hank gazing upon him with such pity. “Wow. Your job sucks.”

The nail went into Gavin’s coffin, the final blow to ruin his day. Closing his eyes, Gavin nodded his head in agreement. “Yeah. Okay. So. Who’s good cop, and who’s bad cop?”


	2. Chapter 2

The game of Good Cop, Bad Cop turned into Cops and Robbers. A game that was short lived, as Sumo was getting antsy and likely needed to use the bathroom. Strangely enough, Gavin seemed rather antsy to join Jeff. Connor took that as good time as any, to find a way to burn Henry and Sumo’s excessive energy. The park seemed as good idea as any, and at this point Henry was almost fully grown into the clothes.

As they drove to the park, Connor focused on the road while he did his best impression of casual texting to Kara. He was definitely NOT overwhelmed. Connor was the most advanced prototype that CyberLife had created, and by extension that meant he was the most capable android in the world. There was no real need to reach out to Kara. Simply, Henry was at the age he wanted to play. Be more active. Hitting the prime age of what seemed to be ten now, the boy could play with Alice. Have a friend. Since Alice was an android, she could possibly wear the boy and the puppy that was Sumo out. On the subject of Sumo…

The dog’s Batman costume had been abandoned on the floor of the car, too small for the growing animal now. Still a puppy, Sumo’s fur had gotten thicker and he came up to Henry’s knees. This was apparently the stage at which the dog had been fully potty trained, as Sumo seemed perfectly content waiting until he had access to grass or ground before urinating. Henry was laughing in the backseat, using the tug rope to play with Sumo as the two were driven around town. 

“_Could I request you, Luther, and Alice’s presence at the Detroit Dog Park?_” Connor asked in his message, already prepping a response in case Kara asked why. “Henry, please put your seatbelt back on.” The android directed, catching the boy in the middle of unclicking the belt. Freezing, Henry stared Connor in the eyes through the rear-view mirror with wide and startled blues.

“Uh… How’d you know? I was so _quiet_.” Henry groaned, eyes shutting tightly as he let his head fall back into the seat. He grumbled, but did as he was told. Sumo started pawing at him, tail wagging and misunderstanding this to be some kind of game. “Hey! Quit it! Bad dog!” Henry scowled, batting the paws Sumo was finally started to grow into away. The puppy cocked his head to the side, tail slowing to a stop as Sumo tried to make sense of what he was being told. He was not being ‘bad.’ He was good dog. He was best dog. Sumo knew this. But the child said he was bad. Why? He was not bad dog.

“Thank you, Henry.” Connor said, smiling at the small relief that the boy chose to listen to him this time. The inconsistency of when Henry would or wouldn’t listen had to have some kind of trigger. _I was literally designed to solve mysteries. I can figure this out_, the android reminded himself with the most confidence he had mustered in several hours. 

“_Sure! Alice would love to play with Sumo._” Kara finally responded, and Connor could visualize her chipper smile while the younger android excitedly bounced on her heels at the idea. 

“_Fantastic, thank you. When can I expect you three?_” Connor asked, ignoring the building anxiety that made him hope it would be within minutes.

“_Alice and Luther are wrapping up playing a game. Possibly thirty minutes?_” Kara’s message wasn’t exactly promising. She was an android as well, and could calculate with relative accuracy (not to the extent of Connor, of course). The uncertainty spoke volumes about the volatile nature of whatever it was that Luther and Alice were playing. Connor knew the two sometimes would turn certain programs off, to play games in a fashion closer to how computers did. Instead of counting and tracking as computers, they tried to interact without using methods that a human would regard as ‘cheating.’

It was so Alice could practice interacting with children that were human. Being an android, she had an unfair advantage over the ten-year olds that were still growing and learning. 

Connor supposed she would have practice with Henry, today.

Henry. Right. Connor meant to send a message to Kara about it. Honest, he did. However, the second the car stopped and Henry’s eyes landed on playground equipment, the child’s energy propelled him out of a seatbelt, out of the car door, and sneakers hitting the pavement. “Henry-!” Connor yelled, immediately opening his door and trying to scramble after the child. In his frenzied rush, however, the android forgot to remove his own seatbelt. A startled yelp left Connor, and like a yo-yo he was slung back into his seat. Back door still wide open, with the loudest (and most adorable) bark he could manage, Sumo was bounding after Henry.

“No no nonono!” Connor whimpered, hands fumbling with his seatbelt to unclick. Finally free, he took the keys out of the ignition, slammed the door closed, and began racing after his two charges. Already ahead of the android by several feet, Henry was laughing as he ran wildly into the park. Tongue-lolling, Sumo was chasing the boy in what he believed was a game of tag. Luckily for Connor, the dog hadn’t quite figured out no one was holding his leash. 

It was late in the morning, not quite afternoon, and it was on a school day. Summer was practically there, but the kids were still in class so the park was relatively empty. There were a few people walking their dogs along the trails, and some older couples relaxing on benches. Trees dotted the dog park, providing several areas with shade and others with plenty of sun for animals to relax in its rays. 

If the world ran according to the simulations that Connor created, then he would have easily and quickly caught up to the human and puppy. The technology used for Connor’s pre-construction was advanced, and borderlined on future-predicting capabilities. However, it relied heavily on understanding his subjects and their variations of activity. The better he knew his targets, the more accurate his predictions. Unfortunately, Connor didn’t know Sumo as a puppy or Hank as a child. He didn’t grow up with any of them. 

Sumo’s sudden twist around, rearing onto his hindlegs before bringing his front paws down to stand before Connor broke the android from his pre-construction. Running at full speed, he had been gaining quickly on the two. Brown eyes widened, LED went into a dark red, and the android waved his hands around to try to redistribute his weight in an attempt to control the carried momentum as he stopped dead, one wrong step away from literally kicking a puppy. He had been going too fast, and Sumo’s switch was at the wrong time giving the android a fraction of a second to react.

It was enough time to not hurt the dog, but not enough to save himself from falling to the side. Sumo yipped, jumping backwards with his tail wagging as if this were a game. More barks, and the dog ran in two circles before heading after Henry once more. Picking himself up, Connor grit his teeth. Reminded himself that he was an android. An advanced one, at that. Standing back up, he once more gave chance.

Set reminders that Henry was a child. He had all this energy. That he just wanted to play, to do something with the need to move, to interact, to grow. 

Connor felt some growing annoyances, even so.

“Henry!” Connor called after, once more gaining on the two.

“Booyah! You can’t catch me, Scrub!” Henry laughed, pleased with himself and his great escape from his babysitter. 

“Henry! Please!” Connor yelled after, reaching his hand out. Hoping the inkling of distress he was feeling wasn’t showing (it was). 

“Talk to the hand, ‘cause this face ain’t gonna listen!” Henry hollered back at him, and to show how much he meant it the child angled his right arm backwards, and held his hand palm facing Connor.

“This… This isn’t tubular!” Connor said, not caring whether he used the nineties jargon correctly. Simply hoping attempting to use it would somehow luck him out in resonating with the kid. Little did Connor realize, this was the exact path many parents ended up taking after giving up understanding their children’s slang. Henry didn’t say anything this time, instead was laughing. 

Inching closer, Connor was finally close enough to swoop up Sumo. The puppy was bigger than he was earlier, but still compact enough to be easily grabbed and carried. With a yelp of surprise, Connor didn’t dare pause - scanners told him that Sumo had simply been surprised, and was uninjured. Snapping his head back to find out why the dog reacted that way, Henry let out his own startled yell.

“No fair! Your legs are longer!” Henry wailed, sidestepping to dart around a tree. Connor slid, grunting when his shoulder bumped into the tree to protect Sumo from being smooshed. Cackling came from Henry, and with a slight groan Connor used his free arm to push himself off the bark to resume the chase. Around trees and benches, and a few times involving innocent bystanders, Connor couldn’t ever seem to quite catch the kid. It was becoming infuriating. 

Connor was an _android_. Catching a ten-year old should have been no different than a quick trip to the grocery store. Instead, this had become an entire ordeal. All because his programs came defaulting to his Hank. To the nearly sixty-year old man, that would not have put Connor through any of this madness. 

Well, perhaps a little, but not for this long. 

“_Connor… What’s going on?_” A message from Kara entered Connor’s thoughts. Horror hit him, realization dawning as the half-composed message explaining to the other android what happened remained unsent. Before he could complete it, a large body stepped into Henry’s path and thick arms scooped up the child. 

Henry screamed.

“Stranger danger! Stranger danger!” Henry yelled, squirming around and trying to escape from Luther’s hold. The biggest android remained indifferent to the struggles, simply walking over to Connor. 

“Is that Sumo?” Luther inquired, half offering Henry to Connor. LED still glowing bright red, Connor let out an annoyed breath but nodded his confirmation. “He’s adorable.” Was all the bigger android could manage, inquiring dark eyes glancing down at the kid in his arms. “_Is this… Hank?_”

“_Yes, the child is Hank._” Connor informed them, sending the message along with an attachment summarizing what was happening to the other three. Alice stood next to Kara, confusion etched all over her small face. 

“Oh.” Was all Kara could manage. She watched Henry stretching towards Connor, blue eyes pleading he be saved from the big bad man that dared to interrupt his fun.

“Connnnoor…” Henry whined. With a sigh, Connor held out his free hand. Lowering the kid to the ground, Luther didn’t fully let go until he watched Henry grab onto the limb offered by his sitter. Freed, Henry moved himself to stand closer to Connor but the fear from his eyes for Luther was now replaced with awe and curiosity. “He’s huge.” Henry whispered. Hearing the remark, Luther gave a slight grin. Reaching over, he ruffled blonde curls.

“You, uh… You look like you need help.” Kara said gently, her eyes flicking to Connor’s LED and then back to the other android’s face. Her lips moved upwards into a forced smile, a hand remaining on Alice’s back more from habit than necessity. 

“I have this under control.” Connor wanted to sound confident, to convince them in order to waive the doubts that were beginning to settle in. The shakiness in his voice did nothing to deter the worry the other androids were eyeing him with.

“Your LED is super red.” Alice observed, choosing to use her childish face to announce the obvious to everyone in the immediate area. 

“It’s the sun.” Connor attempted to counter, knowing full well no one was going to believe such an obvious lie. 

“It is most definitely red.” Now Luther was contributing, nodding his head as he spoke to add insult to injury. 

“When mood rings are red, it means you’re mad. So Connor is, like, suuuuuper mad.” The certainty with which Henry spoke, was the sort that Connor needed more of in his life. Where did such assurance go? When did Hank stop talking with such a factual voice? 

“You are absolutely correct, Small Hank. Thank you. See, Connor? You should listen to him more.” Luther was smiling while he talked, exchanging a more playful grin with Henry who was immediately eating up the compliments. 

“That’s what I’ve been saying!” Henry laughed, trying to throw both of his hands in the air but only succeeding with his left. His right hand was still being held hostage by Connor’s vice grip, the android using enough strength to ensure the kid was not escaping a second time but not enough to break or bruise anything. “Hey. I got a question… Are you a wrestler?” 

“I am not.” Luther shook his head. Hands on his pants, tugging the fabric up slightly, Luther then squatted down to be closer to Henry’s eye level. “Do you think I would be good at it?” He asked, watching Henry with his full attention. The boy’s eyes went wide, a gap-toothed smile splitting his face into two. Wordlessly, Henry nodded his head with a fervent excitement. “Connor, might I borrow the Small Hank to discuss wrestling with?”

“Henry - my name’s Henry!” Henry corrected, standing on his tiptoes and then rocking back onto his heels before restarting the process. As he bobbed in place, blues staring hopefully up at Connor, the android hesitated. Was afraid to let go, because he finally got his hands on Henry. But then, Luther wouldn’t let anything happen to him. Connor knew this. He trusted Luther.

“I’d like to learn about wrestling, too.” Alice added in, timidly stepping forward and away from Kara. 

“...But you’re a girl?” Henry’s excitement quelled, as he had to turn around to stare at the new person. He saw a girl his age, and nothing more. Androids hadn’t yet been invented in his mind. “Shouldn’t you be checking out Sailor Moon or something?” 

“I can lift more than twice my weight.” Alice tilted her head as she spoke, brows furrowing in as she tried to understand the connection between appearing female and preferring watching a show over a physical activity. She was a child. She liked games. She also enjoyed some television series. Why would this boy think she would only enjoy one of the two options? While she tried to understand, Henry’s jaw dropped. He slowly shook his head, and pointed at Alice.

“That’s not physically possible!” Henry’s ten-year old mind only knew what was true back in 1995. In that year, ten-year old girls were not known to bench-press twice their weight. In fact, unless that ten-year old girl happened to be an android, this was still not true. Nor could any ten-year old, regardless of identity if they were human. 

“_His mind matches his physical age. If we told him the year, he would believe he time traveled to the future_.” Connor explained, this time a bit differently, to the other androids.

“_Oh. Well. I can’t take back what I said._” Alice pointed out.

“_He’s nine, ish. If we say you work out a lot, he’ll just accept it. Maybe_.” Kara suggested, and Alice nodded to her.

“I exercise a lot.” Alice lied, hoping to cover her claims with something the lone human would find believable. To prove her point, she raised both her arms and flexed her biceps in the sunny yellow tanktop she was wearing. “Luther’s teaching me how to do a piledriver. We use a pool, though. Much safer.” Doing a quick search on wrestling, on the names of different moves, on the appeal, Alice hoped name-dropping a random word would be enough to win Henry over.

“You ARE a wrestler!” Henry cheered, turning his attention back to Luther. “I knew it!” 

“Connor, why don’t you let Henry play with Luther and Alice?” Kara suggested, breaking into the conversation. Her eyes never once left Connor, because she could tell. Saw the lurking anxiety in Connor’s eyes, the tense way his body clenched without his conscious thought. 

“But…” The word left Connor’s mouth, and he snapped it shut before more left. Sucking in a deep breath, his fingers slowly unfurled to let Henry go. Sumo, however, stayed held in his one arm. Panting from getting hot, the puppy made no move to follow the child. “I should… Sumo needs to be hydrated.” He said, taking the opportunity to leave Henry in the more than capable hands of Luther and Alice.

“Right. I saw a fountain over this way.” Kara smiled, his eyes warming. Permission granted to play, Henry cheered as he rushed up to Luther and demanded to be taught how to do the piledriver as well. Alice was more hesitant in her approach, but her face was eager to interact with her new playmate. As those three started to play, Kara walked with Connor to where the nearest fountain was. “I never thought I would see one of us look so exhausted.” Kara teased, watching the other from the corner of her eyes.

“It’s been a day.” Connor explained wearily. The two stood at the fountain, and Connor pressed the button for water to begin dispensing. Bringing Sumo closer, a slight smile tugged at his lips as the puppy began to sloppily drink. “I know he isn’t Hank. Not yet, anyway. But I keep defaulting, as if he is. I’m an android. It shouldn’t be this difficult.” 

“You’re a _person_.” Kara reminded him, reaching over to pet Sumo while he drank. She was wearing a green spaghetti strap tank, and shorts that went to her knees with floral designs on the side. “Someone you cared about… Isn’t themselves, and you have to take care of them in a way you weren’t expecting. It’s jarring.” To emphasize her point, she stopped speaking abruptly after she said that. Connor watched her, a slight frown as he waited for her to continue. “If you need a break, we won’t mind taking care of Hank until he’s back to normal for you. I can’t imagine how weird it must be, having someone you love so much suddenly be a kid.”

“It feels… Wrong.” There were too many words to choose from, and Connor couldn’t decide which fits best. So he settled. Settled because he had bigger concerns than what best fit how he felt about everything right then. “I can handle this. I am the most advanced-”

“Prototype sent by CyberLife. Yeah, yeah - we know, Connor.” Kara laughed, laughter that became harder and louder as Connor glared at her in annoyance at having been interrupted and mocked. “I can’t help it! You say it so much! It’s practically your motto.” She kept giggling. Placing a hand over her stomach, sucking in a deep breath, she quelled her laughter. Right when Connor thought she got it out of her system, her face became dead serious and she said, “Hello, Lieutenant. My name is Connor, and I am the android sent by CyberLife.”

And then she bust out laughing again.

“I don’t understand why you find that so funny.” Connor was frowning as he watched her continue to get a kick out of his ‘motto.’ Did he really say it _that_ much?

After running a quick compilation, he found that yes. Yes he did actually say that rather frequently. 

Huffing, Connor resisted the urge to cross his arms and turn his back to Kara, but only because Sumo was having fun playing with the water now. The car was going to reek of wet dog smell, but it would be worth it.

“I apologize. Okay. It’s out of my system now, promise.” Kara breathed out a sigh, a grin remaining despite her claims that she was ‘finished.’ “So now what?” She asked, moving to lean against the fountain in order to watch the children and Luther playing. Luther had each child on his shoulder, running through the park laughing. She heard Henry say something about needing to collect all the dragon balls.

The trio had already moved on from wrestling and into Dragon Ball. If that kid wasn’t careful, Kara knew that Luther would try and coax him into improving math skills with Dungeons & Dragons.

Actually, the campaign he was running for her and Alice was partially why they couldn’t get to the park immediately. Could they have run a group simulator for the game? Yes. But that took the human part out of it completely, and they started playing it to explore their imaginations in a different way. 

“I’m honestly not sure.” Connor blew out a slow breath, letting go of the button on the fountain seeing that Sumo was finished. Lowering Sumo to the ground, Connor held onto the leash and leaned next to Kara. The two watched Luther and the children play, exchanging periodic words. 

After almost an hour, Henry came over to them with Alice and Luther trailing. He was walking awkwardly, already starting to outgrow the once baggy clothes on him. “Connor, did we bring extra clothes?” He asked, voice threatening to crack in the middle of his words. “I think these are cheap, they’re shrinking already.” 

“Oh. Yeah. Uh, I think I have some extras in the trunk.” Connor nodded, bending down real fast to hastily begin loosening the now tightening harness on Sumo.

“Rad.” Henry nodded, his usual enthusiasm starting to fade.

_Oh no_, Connor groaned inwardly. Henry was starting to hit the teenage years. This was either going to go really smoothly, or really, really poorly.

May rA9 have mercy on Connor’s digital soul.

“Could you… Watch Sumo for me?” Connor requested, cringing as he said it. He didn’t want to hand the dog away. Watching Sumo grow wasn’t as uncomfortable, and the android could fully enjoy how cute the dog was throughout his various stages. But after his conversation with Kara, he had to admit to a… Certain level of being overwhelmed. 

“Yes!” Alice’s answer was immediate, allowing no time for Kara or Luther to get further than opening their mouths to agree.

“Thanks.” Connor smiled to her, handing the leash over to Alice.

“Dude, where’s your car?” Henry asked, squinting and trying to locate the oldsmobile. 

“It’s this way.” Connor directed, feet carrying him down the path he once used to chase Henry. Glancing back, he smiled at the others and waved. “Thank you.”

“Anytime!” Kara beamed, waving the two off. 

The walk to the car was mostly punctuated by Henry’s complaints about his pants being too tight, and attempting to subtly adjust himself without anyone noticing. An act he wasn’t succeeding very well at, as most people politely averted their eyes and whispered rather rude things about Connor not taking care of his kid properly. 

When the two got back to it, Connor popped open the trunk and reached into the bags. He did the calculations, and while he wasn’t entirely sure of Henry’s physique at every stage of his life, the android could predict to a certain point. Grabbing a bigger shirt and pants, he handed it to Henry. “There’s a bathroom over there.”

Instead of giving a thank you, Henry gave a sullen shrug and refused to look Connor in the eye. Henry took his time, and after fifteen minutes Connor was beginning to worry the other simply took off. Panic began to rise, and he turned on his scanners. Henry was still in the bathroom, leaning over a sink with his head hanging down. There was little movement, the most the android could decipher was some trembling. Crying.

Henry was crying.

Connor’s mind was a whir of what the source could be. There were so many things he just didn’t know. So many unanswered questions. When he couldn’t take it anymore, he followed after. Knocked on the stall Henry was in, listened to how the sniffles were swiftly stifled. Buried.

“What?” Henry croaked out.

“Do you not feel well?” Connor asked softly.

“What do you fuckin’ care?” Henry hissed, his voice deeper with a growl underlying his words. Puberty, good, this was going to be… Fun.

“I’m worried about you.” Connor tried again, hand hovering over the stall. Wondering if he should knock it down, or if that was crossing a line. Probably crossing a line. Breaking into Hank’s window all those years ago was apparently crossing a line. Something Connor still didn’t understand. Why would he not do everything he could to save someone’s life? 

“Tch. You’re just paid to care.” Henry snarled, andt through his scanners Connor could see the human was clutching onto the sink. Setting his jaw, his gaze hardening as he stared into what was probably a drain. 

“That’s funny, I spent an awful lot of money on you today…” Connor pointed out, using something of a playful tone in hopes that would convey his fondness. To maybe get through to Henry, while he was going through… Whatever happened in his life to lead to this.

“All these years. Why do I keep forgetting to bring clothes when you watch me, anyway…? It’s so damn weird.” Henry still had an edge to his words, but also some wonder. It didn’t last long. “Whatever. Aren’t I too old for you to keep watching me? It’s getting creepy, to be honest. I’m old enough. I can work now.” The hardness wavered. Henry’s voice cracked, his speech softening, “Maybe Mom won’t work as much, then.” 

There it was. Henry was reliving his childhood, he was missing his mother. But where was she? Hank’s parents had been a silent mystery, one Connor never asked about in hopes that someday Hank would be comfortable to talk about it. Even Jeff seemed hesitant if the topic started to crop up. 

“You miss her a lot, huh?” Connor asked, moreso any part of Hank that lurked beneath the surface, beneath the lost memories. Pressing his forehead against the stall door, closing his eyes and shutting off his scanners, he listened. Tried to hear anything of the man he loved and missed right then. 

“Yeah.” Henry said. “She works all day, and then she goes to bed. Ever since dad died, she just… Never stops. Mrs Fowler is cool and all, but she’s Jeff’s mom. Not mine. I keep thinking, does she even want to spend time with me? Are we really that hard for cash, or is it just… Her way to avoid me? To not have to deal with me?” His voice was wavering. The scanners stayed off, because even without them Connor knew the boy was crying again. 

Connor was clueless how to respond. Henry was operating under the impression that Connor knew his mother. The truth was completely different. The android knew nothing about her, except what was just now being revealed to him. He ached to reassure the other, but what if he was wrong? What if fed a false hope, that Henry would eventually realize? 

Would that damage how Hank felt about him? 

There was a twist in Connor’s gut, because how much of what was happening would mess with his Hank? Would the man he love… Even still be himself when he returned? What if Hank could no longer see Connor as himself, but as that babysitter he could never get rid of? 

_No. Now isn’t the time. You can have a breakdown later - first, we take care of Hank_, Connor reminded himself. Straightening his back, rolling his shoulders, the android sucked in a deep breath. Signaling to the human he was ready to say something. Something important.

“I had someone that was like a mother to me. She guided me. Checked up on me. I always thought she wanted what was best for me.” Connor was speaking, but he wasn’t sure where he was going with it yet. He hoped somewhere that would help both Henry, and himself. “But as time went on, I began to question her. If what she thought was the best, was honestly for the best. The world wasn’t as black and white as I believed.” He could still remember Amanda, and how proud of him she could be. 

“People are complicated, and we can’t always understand what motivates them.” Connor could remember her fury at him for deviating. At how, in the end, she attempted to control him. To break him, and destroy everything Markus had worked for. “I haven’t seen her, ever since she tried to convince me to do something… Terrible,” the android was not going to say force him to assassinate someone, Henry wouldn't have believed it, “I think, she still believed what she was doing was the right thing for me. It’s the same with your mom. She may be doing what she thinks is best, but doesn’t know it’s hurting you.” 

The bathroom was silent. If Henry was still crying, he was doing so quietly. As he waited to see what would happen, Connor realized he could take Henry with him to see Markus and Simon. Between the two, Markus had to deal with a lot of androids that experienced a variety of difficulties. Many of which were coming to grips with a sense of abandonment from their humans. A feeling that could be similar to what his human was feeling. And Simon was an android designed specifically for taking care of kids, and presumably teenagers. 

If Henry was willing, Connor was going to drag him there.

After several long minutes, the stall door began to open. Backstepping away from the door, Connor smiled as Henry finally poked his head out.

“You don’t think she’s avoiding me?” Henry asked, voice low and delicate.

“No.” Connor assured him, and held out his arms in offer of a hug. Henry’s eyes widened at the gesture, before he quickly glanced away and mumbled something incoherent. Pulling into himself, he started to leave the bathroom.

“Let’s go. This place is nasty as hell.” Henry said, speaking more audibly as he hurried out. With a sigh, and accepting they weren’t at that point, Connor followed suit. 

As it turned out, Markus and Simon were effectively unhelpful. Between the two, Connor gained absolutely nothing in help or higher understanding. Henry, during all of it, was getting increasingly older and more annoyed. The unique type of annoyed that Connor experienced plenty of when he first met Hank at the bar. Only the irritation came from a completely different place, instead of a general hatred towards androids. To complicate matters, Henry seemed alarmed when he looked at Connor’s LED and seemed to almost understand what it meant. As if he might have seen it somewhere before.

That was beginning to worry Connor. That Henry was adding things up now, getting to a point he was registering how much of his world didn’t make sense in the reality of this one. 

The most polite that Connor had seen him, was when Henry asked one of the androids if he could borrow their phone. There was an exchange. After a few minutes, using the detective skills that were starting bloom, Henry called someone. Had a shadow fall over his face. Sucked in his lips, before returning the phone to its owner.

Henry didn’t even bother speaking to Connor, and began charging out of the building. 

“I need to go - thank you!” Connor yelled to Markus and Simon, extending a gratitude he didn’t feel towards them in the name of being polite. Keys jingling in hand, Henry kicked at his car before the android could arrive. “What is going on - “

“Let’s go.” Henry ordered, his voice gruff and filled with an underlying anger. 

“Where are we going?” Connor asked, curious and worried all combined into one. He didn’t attempt to hide it, because he hadn’t seen Henry act this way. There was some kind of switch. Henry’s physical appearance didn’t match where he was at with his ICE case, so this was before Cole. This was something else. Henry rolled his eyes, snapping his head to glare at Connor in the beginnings of yelling.

But then he stopped, mouth hanging open and watching Connor with an expression that read as too many things. Realization, shame, fury, blame, fear, and countless other emotions. Closing his mouth, he swallowed hard. Henry closed his eyes, and simply shook his head before prattling off an address.

Not bothering to ask any further questions, Connor got into the car with him. Drove them to the address as requested. Watched Henry furiously get out of the vehicle, and charge towards the building he asked Connor to take him to. A huge facility, with a large parking lot that was mostly empty. 

Henry pushed forward at full speed, only stopping at the front counter for directions. Connor trailed behind him, capable of keeping up but instead choosing to follow at a comfortable distance. There was a destination in mind that was driving Henry, and the android wasn’t about to get between the two. 

Pausing at a door, Henry took in a deep breath and then went inside. Connor followed after him, watching Henry start to close the door behind him. Looking around, the android didn’t see very many other people in the hallway. They weren’t alone, and a nurse walking by gave the android a courtesy greeting but continued about their business. Still lagging behind, Connor chose to investigate around him before following any further.


	3. Chapter 3

The door was cracked open, the pale sunflower yellow walls dotted with floral paintings. Framed photos lined along the way, and in one of them Connor saw a familiar face that made his heart ache next to another he knew, and a new one. Hank, wearing his uniform after being made lieutenant, next to Jeffrey. Both men had their arms around an older woman, her hair a dark mousy brown streaked with grays. All three were happy. Analyzing her face, going through records, Connor knew who she was. Knew why Hank, still too young to remember who Connor was or what would happen with androids, or to even have had Cole… Why this was who, more than anyone else, he needed to see.

Gently nudging the door open, just slightly, Connor peaked in. Hank was gingerly holding a woman, at least eighty years old. She was wearing a green nightgown with white polka dots on it. Her gray hair was pulled back into a loose braid, and she was holding onto her son tightly, sobbing loudly and openly.

“Oh, my Henry… Henry, I’ve missed you so much…” She sobbed, Hank letting her cry on his shoulder. No words came from him, but Connor could see the look of shock and surprise. The man didn’t understand how his mother got so much older, so much faster. The confusion was evident. But he didn’t push her away, merely those big hands of hers rubbed her back with as much reassurance as he could muster. His own blue eyes were beginning to water, and rather than let someone see him crying buried his face into her hair.

“I’m so sorry, Mom.” Hank whispered, her thin fingers clutching onto his back. The man was her only support, holding her up as her legs threatened to fail beneath her. 

_Eleanor Anderson. Age 86. Retired. _

There was a symbol in front of her door, notifying nurses that Eleanor was a potential fall hazard. Additionally, this was not just some random nursing home that she had been put into when Hank fell apart after he lost Cole. Journey in Detroit, an initially unusual name for a nursing home, specialized in tending to Alzheimer’s patients. Rated one of the top facilities, this was a home Hank had found for his mother so he knew she would be taken care of. 

And the Hank that she was clinging so tightly to, was the one she could last remember. Not the exhausted man in his fifties, that had lost too much still so early on. A young man in his mid-twenties, with curly blonde hair and a world of potential laying before him. Who still had his mother, and not yet lost his son. “I’ve missed you.” Eleanor’s words were muffled, but they didn’t need to be clear in order to be understood. 

A lump rose to Conor’s throat. Taking a step back, he pressed his back against the wall and stood straight on it. Would stand there, and wait as long as he needed to. Would let those two take as much time as they needed. When this all started, Connor thought no one needed his Hank back more than he did. 

Inside that room, there was one person that needed Hank more than he ever could. Missed Hank and needed him in ways that Connor could never, and that was all right. 

The two began talking. There was a creak of the bed, as the two sat down to talk. To catch up. Eleanor talked about the world, trapped in a time decades gone. Hank listened to her, chatted with her. Told her about his day, how strange it was. Asked her about a babysitter named Connor, if she found it odd that he never seemed to age? “I hired so many for you, Honey… I’m sorry, I don’t remember.” She apologized. 

Connor felt a wry smile grace his lips, wondering at what a strange memory this was going to be for Hank. Mind going over everything he learned about today. All the pieces that made up Hank’s life, and how they came together to turn him into the man that Connor loved. Nearing the end of the journey, Connor felt he better understood why Hank was so afraid of getting older. How it was so much more than a beach-ready body. 

Simulating breathing as he stood there, Connor reminded himself the importance of appearing human in this small world frozen in time. Hands clasped behind his back, Connor nodded in acknowledgement to a few of the residents that peered at him curiously. A passing interest in a new face, one of whom seemed trying to decide if he was genuinely new or simply another person forgotten. Connor could feel his thirium pump clench, his physical parts reacting to his emotional response to the reality he could face with Hank. Today was a flickering window into a possible future. Turning his head slightly, just so he could try and hear the two a bit better. Whispers, a few giggles. Eleanor was asking Henry when he was going to give her a grandbaby. Hadn’t he met any nice guys yet? 

Hazel eyes caught blue ones, Connor quickly looking away from a glance Henry snuck in his general direction. The android’s sight didn’t allow him to see it, but the man gave a wry grin as he answered his mother, “Not yet… But I think I’m going to?” 

_Ah, so he might be catching on finally_, Connor sighed in relief. There was finally a light at the end of this nightmare-ish tunnel he found the two of them in. It was a matter of time before Henry got to the point of Cole, and then losing Cole. It the thought was surreal. Since developing human emotional capability, Connor ached to have been able to support Hank through his loss. The need was irrational, as time travel was impossible. Yet, suddenly, the opportunity was becoming reality and Connor found he dreaded that moment. Mostly because he hated to see Hank miserable, but in a selfish way the android had to admit he was emotionally drained. Systems had not drained their energy reserves, but there were a few warnings about needing to go into a sleep mode for at minimum a few hours. 

Putting together a text message, Connor sent one to Captain Fowler inquiring how he was handling Sumo and Gavin. Doubting a response anytime soon, Connor closed his eyes. Started the slow process of researching more about Alzheimer’s, dementia, and everything between. Saw the progress in understanding how the two worked. Methods proven to have results, medications that were more beneficial and less detrimental. Made a silent promise to himself that if Hank ever found himself like Eleanor, that as strange as the day was those interwoven memories of Connor in his life would oddly help. He hated admitting to something good coming out of all this. Footsteps from the room, and the android slowly opened his eyes to look towards who was approaching.

Stepping out of Eleanor’s room, gently shutting the door behind him, was a Henry with more grays in his hair and eyes baggier than when Connor last saw him. The man’s eyes were bloodshot, and there was a glassiness to them. Sniffling, Henry released a shaky breath before turning to look at the android. “Is that why you wouldn’t let me see her this whole time?” Henry’s voice was exhausted, and the tone underneath was either fear, anger, or something else entirely. The heartbreak was too prominent to know what else swam in Henry’s soul right there. In slow movements, Connor shook his head.

“You never told me. I didn’t know. I had always assumed she had… Already passed.” Connor answered, his words sounding detache and mechanical to his own ears. Did he sound the same way to Henry? Or was his focus too much on the other, and not enough on himself?

“I didn’t tell you.” Henry repeated, his gaze going downcast and lips turning to thin lines. There was a beard growing in thicker, some patches thinner than others. Droplets hit the floor, and Connor felt the veins of his thirium get colder. He couldn’t do it, he couldn’t stop himself any longer. The android’s fingers reached over, cautiously slid into Henry’s palm to hold his hand. Gave a soft squeeze, and Connor’s shoulders relaxed feeling a squeeze in return. “I noticed it. That LED. Same thing that Chloe from TV has. Had? You’re not human.” 

“Not in the same sense as you, no.” Connor confessed, closing his eyes and feeling a wetness on his own cheeks as tears began to slide down. “You changed that. You helped me become human.” 

“I _will_ you mean.” Henry pressed.

“No. You already did. You… There was a pill. You wanted to be younger. I didn’t understand why. There’s so many human things I still can’t comprehend. It made all of you young, too young. You’re going back to normal, slowly. I want to say it gets better. That you have a lot of happy memories waiting for you. But I can’t say the sad ones don’t outweigh them.” Connor tried to pick his words with care, to be honest without coming across as cruel. He was a supercomputer that in theory could handle anything. Reality was different. When it came to Hank and everything that was Hank, he was too often at a loss. Connor could kill and he had. Even then felt no regret for his actions. He did what he had to in order to survive, in order to help. 

Then there was Hank, and if he frowned at Connor so much as considering taking out a criminal there was that prick of guilt. “Hank I’m… I’m so sorry.” Connor didn’t know what else to say, or do. The hand in his let go, and then there was an arm wrapped awkwardly around his shoulders. 

“Shit happens.” Henry sniffled, giving the android’s shoulders a reassuring squeeze. “And you’ve been with me through every damn step of it. Fuck, I should be the one apologizin’ for dragging you through it all. Did you have to change my diapers?” He asked, an awkward grin trying to make an appearance on his face. Connor looked up at him, a strained smile as he looked at the other. Bit by bit, he was getting his Hank back. That smile with the gap between his front teeth, the stubble growing back into the beard Connor missed so much, and those eyes. No matter how tired Hank was, his eyes always had so much warmth to them. 

To his credit, Connor resisted the urge to kiss the other. Not because of the tears in Henry’s eyes, or the snot running from his nose. The mannerisms were coming to fruition, but this still wasn’t his Hank. This was Eleanor’s Henry. This was transforming into Cole’s father. This was a man who was almost the one Connor had been missing all day, that Captain Fowler drove off to punch scientist’s in the name of. The one that, despite Gavin claiming he hated him, inspired the detective to get off his ass. 

“Do you want to leave here?” Connor inquired instead, peering at the other with curiosity and concern. Henry gave a bitter laugh, and closed his eyes. 

“I don’t know. I do and I don’t. If I leave… Will I come back? Like. Shit. I didn’t even tell the dude I’m dating? Engaged? ...Married?” Henry asked, cracking one hopeful eye down at the android. Connor felt the bitterness leave him, hazel eyes softening because only Hank could make him feel warm when the man barely even knew who he was. 

“Dating.” Connor laughed softly, and in one smooth motion slide out from the other’s arm to intertwine their fingers once more. Henry’s hand in his, the android lowered his strength settings to pull the other forward with barely any effort. The man took a few steps following, stopping to glance back at his mother’s door. The good humor faded, and Henry’s face was only regret.

“I never told you. I can’t believe that. I wonder if I even visited her? Or maybe I did, and she just… Didn’t recognize me anymore.” Henry paused in his words, refusing to look at Connor. Only able to look at his mother’s door. “Bet she gets lonely. She did so fucking much for me. That’s jacked up, Connor.” Sucking in a deep breath, Henry looked at Connor again. His beard was fuller. Those blue eyes were so much sadder. A quick glance behind the android, as if looking for something.

For someone.

“Promise me you’ll visit her for me, if I won’t.” Henry whispered, his voice only audible because Connor was a machine. Without hesitation, Connor nodded. 

“I promise.” Connor meant it, knew he would keep the promise. Just as quickly as he sealed and eased Henry’s fears, Connor was already programming visitation dates in his internal calendar. Submitting requests to the office for those visits, requesting approval. “I’ll bet Jeff would like to join me, too. Maybe on your good days, you’ll join us.” The android added, doing his best to equally sound and look encouraging. Henry snapped to full attention, staring at Connor with wide eyes as his lower jaw fell slack. 

“Good days?” Henry inquired, afraid to assume but equally hopeful. Connor gave his hand a gentle squeeze.

“You’re allowed to have bad days. We get through those together. Come on.” Connor soothed, applying another soft squeeze combined with a tug. Henry followed after him in a trance, a man marveling at the sort of life he would soon be leading again. The two were silent as they left the building, a few of the nurses wishing them both well. Curious if the two would come back, but nothing more than that. 

By the time the pair returned to the car, Henry was crying again. Remaining patient, Connor gently assisted him into the seat. Noted the clothes that Hank was wearing were starting to get tight on him. The grays were starting to show. All the stress of the worst years of Hank’s life piling one on top of the other, leading up to the one experience that broke him. That still came back to haunt Hank in nightmares, that would jostle Connor from a deep stasis to hold the other. To provide what little comfort he could to the lieutenant, to listen, to simply be there. The hair was short again, matching the photo from the newspaper announcing Henry’s victory in the massive Red Ice bust.

Cole was two when that happened. Henry knew of Cole. Didn’t see his son anywhere. Had just learned his mother was in full-time care, that he neither visited her nor told the android he was with. Connor could feel his thirium pump clench, tighten. Felt his body stutter at the interrupted flow, and with some care got into the car, as well. Closed his eyes, and placed his right hand on the other’s shoulder. Rubbed soothing circles from Henry’s left shoulder to his right, using just enough pressure to be little more than a presence. 

Brown eyes opened, watched Henry for a moment. The man had his face in his hands, his sobs quiet aside from the heavy breathing between tears. Attention back to the wheel, though it was awkward the android maneuvered his left hand to start the car. Going home was probably not the best option at this point. The shock of seeing his place without Cole’s belongings strewn everywhere would probably be a bit much. Deciding on a clothing store to get Henry into something more comfortable, and then taking him to a restaurant next to it. The sun was beginning to set, and considering this was a Thursday the restaurant would be quiet. The two could get a corner table, and work these last few hours together.

Compiling a text together, Connor asked Luther how Sumo was doing.

_He’s a full-grown dog again, Connor. Alice loves him. I am thinking we may be getting a dog, as well. How is Hank?_ The response was almost immediate. Emotions didn’t travel through the type of textings androids could do, but from the interfaces Luther and Connor shared in the past feelings were known differently. Luther was worried about both Hank and Connor. Wanted the best for the two. 

_Not quite there, yet. We’re going the hard parts now… Thank you for taking care of Sumo for us_. Connor could have continued the conversation, asked Luther what sort of dog they were considering adopting. Instead, he wanted to keep most of his attention on Henry and on the road. To get to the store before that memory of the wreck came back. Whatever system Henry’s aging worked on with the medication, Connor’s systems couldn’t get a handle on. His best guess was that the more upset the man became, the faster he aged. As if the medication could not handle the strain on the body that came with stress. 

Pulling into the parking lot, Connor found a space to park in that was a medium distance between the store and restaurant. After that, he waited. Continued to run the tips of his fingers across Henry’s back, and the only reason the car was left on was in order for the air conditioner to keep human and android from overheating. 

“I don’t want to be in here.” Henry croaked through tears after the two had been in the car for twenty minutes. 

“Okay. Come on. Let’s get you something more comfortable.” Connor suggested softly, nodding his head towards the store. Henry didn’t lift his head from his hands. Didn’t care where he was, or where the android was suggesting. Shutting the car off, the android got out and moved to the other’s door. Opened it, and his patience remained even as Henry stumbled out of the vehicle. The beard was halfway back, and the short hair from his time in the Red Ice unit was growing out once more. Much of the blondes and browns were turning gray, his hair curling. Lines were becoming deeper in his face, and the blue of his eyes were stark in contrast to how bloodshot the rest was. From all the crying, his eyes were becoming swollen. The clothes were cutting into his skin, but the man didn’t seem to care. 

Wordlessly, Connor led him into the store. Found a baggy shirt and some sweatpants that he knew his Hank would eventually enjoy, because the Henry now didn’t care. A few people would glance at the two, concern in their eyes because there was a large man in too small clothes being led around by a smaller one in fitted attire. One of the employees even paused in stocking, shuffling away only to quickly return to where the two were browsing to offer a box of tissues. With a small smile, Connor whispered a ‘thank you.’ The employee nodded to show they heard, worry on their face as they watched Henry’s breakdown. There was a look of someone who wanted to do more, to fix what was happening, and coming to the realization whatever was wrong would take more than tissues. 

“If you need anything, just let us know.” The employee offered instead, and gave both Connor and Henry’s shoulder a reassuring squeeze with their hand before returning to work. 

Humans were amazing creatures. Connor had seen so much nastiness from them during the revolution, his only guiding light from any in the form of Hank. Yet, with so much of that behind them now Connor was able to see how many more good hearts lurked within humanity. Still guiding Henry, the two paid for the clothes. The bathrooms at the department store weren’t exactly dirty, but years of dirt wedged itself into the cracks of the tile floor and concrete walls. Some of the paint was peeling, and the floor had a vague yellowness to it from whoever mopped trying to bleach those tiles back to their original white. Running a scan, there were no other people trying to come in. Taking advantage of the space the handicapped stall offered, Connor assisted Henry in changing. The scanners kept on full alert, just in case someone came in that actually needed to use the bathroom. Afterwards, the two left with the android he could get the man to eat.

The rest of the evening went by in a blur. Henry refused to speak, and as the two sat at the dark table of the restaurant Connor resisted the temptation of offering the other alcohol. This was the place where Hank's alcoholism was created; the man attempting to fill the hungry void with a depressant that ruined his sleep as much as it brought it. 

Connor kept one of his hands on top of Henry’s, running slow circles across knuckles and feeling the hair, the wrinkles, the hardness of skin left to dry and crack. The burger and fries were getting cold, the comfort meal providing little more than smells that enticed Henry just enough to have one or two bites eventually. A soda was there, the ice had already melted into it by the time a sip was taken. Most of the beard and mustache were back, the blonde curls faded into gray waves of hair long and thick enough to hide the man’s ears. 

It was eleven at night by the time that the sniffles finally began to fade, the pile of clean napkins waiting to be used quickly transforming into a pile of used ones as the human began to blow into them. Hand shifting, dry-cracked human fingers slid between the android’s synthetic ones. Letting out a long, slow sigh Connor lifted the hand and pressed it against his own cheek, his hand clasping tightly onto it. “Welcome back, Hank.” Connor whispered, brown eyes watering as he stared into the blue eyes he had been aching to look into again. Had been afraid would not return that same warm, loving look ever again. 

“Welcome back, Hank.” Connor greeted, his face mirroring the crinkle in Hank’s eyes as the two smiled at each other. The lieutenant’s eyes were bloodshot, those blues vibrant against all the red. There were tear stains, and the skin on Hank’s nose was rubbed raw.

Around Hank’s eyes were heavy bags, and the man must have felt as tired as he looked as he used the table to support himself. “Thanks. Felt like I was gone for years.” A crooked grin lifted part of the man’s mouth at his joke, and Connor let out a small laugh. The android turned his head slightly, and pressed a kiss to the other’s hand by his face. Stayed there, took in deep breaths he didn’t need so his processors could register the smell of Hank. His Hank. The Hank in the present, the one he loved. 

“So I’m thinking… Maybe ditching that research group. Did that shit seriously… Fountain of Youth me up?” Hank inquired, a yawn breaking up his smile. The second the man’s mouth opened, Connor raised his head to peer at the other’s teeth. Yellowed from years of poor brushing habits combined with the staining that came with heavy coffee consumption, the man wasn’t cringing. 

“It did. Hank, are you _fillings_ back?” Connor asked, brown eyes widening as he tried to make sense of that particular scientific marvel. Not that he was complaining. Hank suddenly missing every filling in his mouth, and the two root canals he had, would have been… Painful. Painful seemed a very nice way of describing the sort of physically disabling suffering that would have come if they weren’t there. 

“They never left? ...Did they?” Hank paused, running his tongue over his teeth while his drooping eyes widened just enough to show his own confusion. “I mean. They had to. Adult teeth don’t fit in kids’ mouth. Right? Right. What in the actual Hell.” 

“I think it would be best that you take tomorrow off. After that we follow up with Jeff, and report this to the FDA.” Connor suggested, more to take both of their attention off of the miraculous but impossibility of Hank’s teeth. 

“Like a tiny time machine capsule.” Hank mumbled, his exhausted mind trapped in making sense of his strange day. The strange and confusing mix of memories that he created today, but in the timeline of his mind made no sense. Androids didn’t exist in the late eighties and early nighties, but now there were memories of them interacting with him at different stages. Alice was a friend he made as a kid, only she actually wasn’t. Because she wasn’t even a twinkle in Kamski’s mind at the time. Or maybe she was, Kamski was a strange man. 

“Hank?” Connor tried, leaning his head on top of Hank’s hand once more. “Do you want your dinner to go, and we can go home?” Hoping that the man was hungry enough to be brought back by the reminder he had dinner, Connor’s was pleased to see that worked. Snapping from staring at the wall, blue eyes were no longer disoriented as they moved to the burger on his plate.

Hank attempted to retrieve his other hand from the android, but Connor only smiled at him - and didn’t let go. There was a mutter of, “fucking androids,” but Hank grinned to himself while accepting he only had one hand to eat with tonight. The burger was cold, but it was deliciously greasy. Coating his hands in condiments, because whoever made this suffered from the Too Much Gene and the man was completely okay with this. When it came time for the fries, they were too salty and there wasn’t enough ketchup. There was the option to get up and get some, but Connor was holding his hand with zero interest in letting go. The feeling was mutual. 

Swallowing the last bite, Hank washed it down with the soda. Connor continued to watch him, wondering at how the two would even begin breaking down what happened that day. How much would the two be able to talk about at a time, without Connor pushing too deeply into topics Hank had been too uncomfortable to share. To confess to. All those fears he harbored that followed the man around. That there was something that bothered Hank beneath the surface and followed him around, that Hank often brushed off or blamed something else to be the source of it. 

There were a few good things that came from the day. Pale lips tugged upwards slightly, brown eyes softening as Connor recalled how tightly Hank and his mother hugged. How badly they both needed that. How difficult it would be for Hank to want to go back, if that want was still even there. 

“Let’s go home.” Hank said, his eyelids closing and struggling to open again. “...It feels good to say that, and know I can.” He sighed, mouth opening just enough for Connor to see his front teeth and the gap between the two in the top row. Droopy eyes tried to keep a watch on the android, consistently dragging back down by the weight of exhaustion. With a nod, Connor helped the other back to the car. 

On the drive home, Connor had the car playing some jazz. Kept the volume low, one hand on the wheel. The other continued to hold Hank’s hand, even as the man dozed on the ride home.

“_Hank is back. Do you mind keeping Sumo until tomorrow? We may not be able to get there until the afternoon. Hank is exhausted. I fear the physical de-aging, and subsequent aging put a great deal of stress on him. Both in mind and body_.” Connor messaged Luther, hopeful the other would consent to it. 

“_We do not mind. You two have a good night_.” Came the quick response from Luther. “_The Little One - Alice - wishes me to tell you she is more than happy to take care of Sumo. It is of utmost importance that I tell you she said, ‘I will take very good care of him, smiley face.’_” At the description of the emoticon instead of actually sending one, Connor chuckled softly. Imagined that Alice was pouting up at a smiling Luther because he sent her message literally, and he absolutely knew what she meant. 

When the two arrived home, Connor pulled Hank’s right arm around his shoulder and helped heff the drowsy human from the seat. Incoherent murmurs drifted from Hank’s mouth, a far cry from the angry grumbles from the first time Connor assisted the human from one point to the next. The warm night air had an odd humidity to it, mosquitoes making quick work in starting to dash around the human. The grass needed to be cut, and the rain from last week seemed to be just what they needed to resume activity. Frowning at the insects, Connor shuffled the two with more urgency to the door. The steps were the only real challenge, with Hank waking just enough to walk up them with the android.

“We home already…?” Hank asked, voice low and disoriented.

“Yeah.” Connor assured him with a smile, pressing a swift kiss to the human’s temple. At the door, he easily unlocked the knob so the two could enter the safety of their home.

_Their_ home. Flicking on the living room light, not having Sumo shoving his nose into their hands eager for pets and treats was somewhat surreal. An odd sensation that would be gone by tomorrow evening, when everything was completely back to normal. Not bothering to get Hank to brush his teeth - the man wasn’t a child (anymore), after all. Halfway down the hallway, Connor didn’t even really need to assist Hank. Just the knowledge his bed was so close, Hank was moving eagerly. When the two got into their room, the human pulled from Connor in order to spread his arms and fall face-forward onto the mattress with a relieved moan of, “Fuckin’ finally.” 

Chuckling, Connor placed his hands on his hips and tilted his head towards the other. “Bed all yours tonight?” He inquired, quirking an amused brow at the other. Cuddling would have been his personal preference, but if Hank needed the space then he would use the couch. 

“Get in yer jammies.” The mattress partially muffled Hank’s words, the man lifting his face up best he could with chin and beard grazing the sheets. With a grunt, he pushed himself to the side and completely rolled onto his back. Arms splayed out, Hank released a long sigh. “Pick a side.”

“You certainly enjoy having a king-sized mattress, don’t you?” Connor asked, laughing softly as he began undressing. 

“Ain’t gonna fit us both and Sumo otherwise.” Hank paused, his eyes closed. “Actually, it’s debatable if it fits us all that good…” He murmured, more an afterthought that slipped past his lips than conversation. 

“We’re not getting a bigger bed. This barely fits in the room.” Connor chided, pulling on striped blue pajama pants. Considered wearing the top, as well, but considered the heat. Calculated the cost of the air conditioner, and opted to keep his internal temperatures lower. Crawling into bed, the android made use of the human’s arm as a pillow. Placed a hand over the other’s chest, aligned the ticks of his thirium pump to the beats of Hank’s heart. 

“Mmm… Bigger room then.” Hank yawned, drowsy mind forgetting how complicated and unpleasant house buying had been in comparison to bed shopping. 

“Or, a better idea, no.” Connor suggested, a smile still on his face until Hank used his free arm to place his hand on the android’s face.

“Sssshhh your face.” Hank whispered, the android closing one eye so the finger above it didn’t poke the ocular unit. “I love yer face, by the way. Solid nine-thousand and one oughta ten.” The human gave another one of his crooked grins, more droopy in his tired state.” Heh… Yer face is over nine thousand.” 

Ah, yes. One of those Dragon Ball Z references the man had been making earlier. Today’s experiences managed to awaken memes within Hank that if Connor were honest, were best left resting in peace inside his memories. Light snoring signaled a respite from any future references, Hank completely asleep once more. Hand still on the android’s face. With a sigh, Connor removed his own from the man’s chest. Took the larger hand, pulled it away from his cheek. Twined their fingers, and allowed their arms to rest between the two. 

For a total of ten seconds, Connor humored the idea of marathoning archives of _Dragon Ball Z: Abridged Series_. Just as quickly, the android swiped left to the idea and instead set his systems to monitoring Hank’s condition for anything outside of the ordinary. Scanners set, Connor nestled in closer to the human and allowed his thoughts to drift into a sleep mode.

*** 

“Kara isn’t responding to me, and neither is Luther. Are they responding to you?” Hank asked, sitting in the passenger seat of the car. Fumbling with his phone in his lap, lips pulled into a tight frown as he fought with the device. He was wearing a button-up shirt, with light greens and pastel pinks on it. The fabric was just thin enough the man had to wear a light tank top underneath. The shirt was paired with loose-fitting khakis, and in the words of Hank, “to complete the Dad-bod look,” wore sandals… And socks.

Connor wasn’t sure why Hank wanted to keep that dated tradition alive, but he quietly wished the human would stop. They were going somewhere in which there was a child. A child that didn’t need to see socks combined with sandals.

“_Is everything all right? Hank said he can’t reach you?_” Connor messaged Kara. Hank wanting to communicate to those two was somewhat curious, especially on the drive to their home. What prompted the sudden need? If the human wasn’t feeling well, he would have told Connor. After their talk that morning, Connor suggested to Kara, Luther, and Alice to all send cute photos they had taken of Sumo during his stay with them to Hank. The man had ample photos of Sumo in shirts, a flower crown, and him chasing bubbles with Alice. There was no doubt he saw his dog was well-cared for.

Or perhaps Hank simply wanted someone else to talk to. Their conversation earlier was rather heavy, and Connor did his best to not pry too deeply. To only slowly coax the discussion about Hank’s anxieties for his future out of him. Bit by bit. In fact, Hank was the one who initiated it. The android only intended to start by asking Hank if he really wanted a larger home for them later, or wanted to stay in his more familiar one. Asking about the future, without pressing too deeply into it. 

“Hey, Con… Thanks, for yesterday. For… Shit, everything.” Hank said, staring down into his cup of coffee. The eggs and toast on his plate halfway through. His response to Connor asking about the home gave the android pause, because the answer had nothing to do with personal preference in regards to housing. Opting to let the human say what he needed, Connor gave an encouraging nod. “I just… I mean, yeah I want that beachbod look. ‘Cause I hate saying no, let’s not go to this or that pool party because I’m self-conscious. But I also… Fuck. It scares me, Con. It scares me that one day, I’ll wake up. And I won’t know who you are. Or what day it is. That shit isn’t like Fifty First Dates. My mom, when it was starting. When it was getting worse… She got so frustrated. So angry, so easy. I couldn’t keep doing it. It’s hard. It gets… Harder. And I don’t want to ask that of you, Con. I can’t ask that of you.” At that point he was crying into his coffee, sniffling between his words. Hank could still feel that odd detachment as his memories slid past each other from yesterday, those moments when he knew he should recognize Connor but couldn’t.

Dreaded that idea that might be in his future.

Connor slid around the table, immediately pulling Hank into a hug and presses kisses to his temple. “They know what to look for in scans now, Hank.” The android assured him. “We know it’s in your family history, that it’s possible. We can start checking next appointment.” He continued, peppering the human with affection until Hank couldn’t help but laugh at the excess. “And they even have pills, minimal side effects, to help if caught in time. Already tested pills, so no Twilight Zone surprises.” Connor continued, running fingers through gray hairs on Hank’s scalp and chin.

“Yeah, yeah, okay - okay!” Hank kept laughing, trying to pull from the android because he just wouldn’t stop. 

“And you wouldn’t be asking me to do anything.” Connor finished by pressing the end of his nose to his human’s. Smiling and leaning forward so their foreheads could press together, as well. “You didn’t ask me to take care of you yesterday, and I did, because I love you. You forgot me, and yes… It upset me. It hurt, a lot. I don’t want you to ever forget. Well, except _maybe_ you can forget we have work and we can just stay home together all day. That would be okay.” Both of them chuckled at the suggestion of playing hooky, knowing neither of them ever would. “You take care of me when you can, and I take care of you when I can. We’re partners. We figure problems out together. And if that ever does happen…”

“We’ll figure that out together.” Hank finished for the other. “I wish I could be as hopeful all the time as you’re making me feel right now.”

“I wish I could lift your moods this easily all the time. What’s in that coffee?” Connor asked with the grin, Hank mirroring it with one of his own. 

“Hella caffeine.” Hank responded, and with that resumed his breakfast and the two spoke of other plans. Deviating away from yesterday’s concerns, for just a little while longer.

In the present, before Connor could send another text as prompt he finally received an answer from Kara. “_Sorry, Connor! We will respond to him now. Sumo is… Very cute, he’s quite distracting. You just want to put your full attention on him! How do you get anything accomplished with him at home?_” Almost immediately afterwards, Hank’s phone went off indicating he received several texts.

“I don’t understand why bunny ears are needed to complete the ensemble, but Sumo does look very good in a pink dress.” Hank commented, pulling his phone further away. 

“You left your glasses at home?” Connor inquired, and simultaneously explaining to Kara that he was a master of self-control, and this was the only reason anything got finished. 

“Didn’t think I’d need them.” Hank grumbled, fingers pressing on the screen as he tried to zoom in on the photo. By the time the two pulled into the driveway of a small home, Hank’s frown was still there. Whatever he was actually discussing with Luther and Kara, their answers were not the ones he wanted. Connor was curious, but patient. In time, Hank would tell him. For the time being, the android shut the car off and exited the vehicle, Hank trailing after him. The front door opened, and a furry blob of browns came bolting towards its favourite people in the entirety of the world. 

Sumo ran delighted circles around the car, tongue rolling with a trail of saliva glinting in the setting sun. Heavy pants left the dog, only pausing to get a quick pat from each before another lap and another round of pets. Standing at the door was Luther, a smile on his face while Alice bounced on her heels, trying to decide if she should let the dog have his fun alone or if she should join. Kara began approaching them, a wide smile on her face with a twinkle in her eye as she looked towards Hank. 

Kara had since forgiven Connor for chasing her and Alice, understanding he only knew orders back then. That he had grown and changed and was so much more. Hank never required forgiveness, only her gratitude. In the rain those days ago, how little effort he put into trying to catch them. Hank could have caught them. He had the experience, and a swift android back then. Instead, Hank did enough to look as though he was doing his job, and no more. Only stepping in to catch Connor, so Kara and Alice could escape.

It was impossible for her to not feel a stronger affinity for the human. 

“Glad to have you back.” Kara greeted, reaching forward to shake the man’s hand. Shoving his phone into his pocket, a half-grin on his face, Hank nodded to her. Started to open his mouth to say something, but it was too late. Alice, unable to contain herself, launched forward to tackle into the human’s middle section. Stumbling backwards, a hand and arm cradling the girl even though she had a durability beyond human, Hank landed against the car with an, “Oof!” 

“Uncle Hank!” Alice cheered, and from the other side of the vehicle Sumo let out a loud, triumphant bark. “Did you get all the photos we took? And the videos?” The smallest android asked, her words a flurry with her eyes wide. Looking down at her, Hank glanced at Luther who was smiling mischievously and was no doubt the suggestion behind the addition of ‘uncle.’ 

“Hey, uh, Alice.” Hank responded, awkwardly patting her head. The inner conflict of remembering Alice as a childhood friend from yesterday, but equally knowing her to be an android child, one he was happy to know. And apparently was now an uncle to.

Grabbing Sumo by the collar, Connor watched the interaction between Hank and Alice. The car caught Hank, and prevented the man from being hurt. There was a definite ‘’thunk’ sound from the impact. Running a scan, there didn’t seem to be any real injuries as a result from the running hug. Relaxing his shoulder, Connor ran his other hand over Sumo’s head. Scratching behind the dog’s ears, soothing through fur that had definitely been brushed earlier. 

There was something on the dog’s collar. Brow furrowing, head tilted, Connor squatted down to inspect closer. A box, tied around the collar with thread to keep it from falling off. The knots were secured to the point that, despite all the jostling from Sumo’s running, it was only just starting to come loose. Written on the box, in CyberLife Sans, was Connor’s name. Interest piqued, the android continued scratching behind Sumo’s ears to encourage the animal to stay still just a little while longer. Deft fingers quickly undid the ties, the box rolling into his hand. Letting go of Sumo, simulated breathing paused because there was something of greater significance that appearing human for the comfort of strangers.

There was a box in his hand, with his name on it. Connor popped it open, and inside was a note. Beneath the note was a steel band, scanners telling him the ring size would fit on his left hand, on the appropriate finger… Perfectly. Connor stood up fully, eyes never leaving the box as he read the note.

‘_We’ve been together for a damn while now, Connor. Been through a lot together, too. After yesterday… This morning. I want us to be together. Stay together? Shit this is hard. I don’t want to keep waiting. Don’t want to keep you waiting. Assuming you were waiting. I dunno. Maybe in your mind we already tied the knot. But me. I want us to tie it on paper, too. So, Con. Will you marry me?_’ 

The note was certainly not Hank’s handwriting. That would have been impossible. But the words were most certainly his, and odds were the car ride was Hank trying to back out. Afraid of the reaction, or of none at all. Connor spent exactly ten seconds considering letting the man off the hook, to give him more time to decide if this was what he really wanted. Only to reread the note, brown eyes sticking to the mentions of the human not wanting to wait any longer. That internal fear of losing himself and forgetting.

From the corner of his eye, Hank caught it. Saw it. Knew exactly what had been tied to Sumo’s collar, and rolled his eyes. Looked to Kara, and then to Luther - both of which were grinning proudly at him. “What the fu-... I know you read my texts.” Hank growled at the two, cringing at his language and immediately covering Alice’s with his ears. 

“Alice really wants to be your flowergirl.” Luther explained, the shrug of his broad shoulders the same kind of sight of watching two mountains rise and fall.

“It was out of our hands, Hank.” Kara added on, her grin turning into a sly smile while she motioned at Alice. Alice, the adorable child that was beaming at at ‘Uncle’ Hank and impossible to refuse. Walking through the words, standing in front of Hank now, was Connor. Sumo was pacing around the two, his tail wagging in excitement. With a soft giggle, Alice shuffled out of Hank’s hold and gave the pair some space. Enough to watch, bouncing on her heels, lips sucked in as she eagerly awaited the answer.

No pressure or anything, no, not at all. 

Hank plunged his hands into the pockets of his pants, thankful there was a car behind him to support him. To help him through the influx of anxiety hitting his chest, and probably an entire night’s worth of heartburn. Feet shifted, and the man breathed in long and deep. Tried to watch Connor with a casual air he didn’t feel, watching the other from the corner of blue eyes. To ignore the expectant and hopeful looks that came from Luther, Kara, and Alice. 

Connor took his hands into his own, and Hank felt the cool metal of the ring on the android’s finger. Oh, the fear and horror of all the ways Connor could or would say no flow out of his body, a cold trickle that relaxed his body in the afternoon heat. “I want it on paper, too.” Connor said, smiling brightly. “And one of these,” the android moved the finger with the ring along the skin of Hank’s hands, “On a finger of yours, as well.” 

A lopsided grin bloomed on Hank’s face. Returned the gentle grip with one of his own, and pulled Connor’s face closer to his to press their foreheads together. “Yeah. Okay. Let’s do that, too.” He agreed.

“A yes! It was a ‘yes’!” Alice’s cheers broke the moment, but not the hold. Hank and Connor shared a laugh together, turning just enough to watch the girl run over to her parents. To her family.

Sumo nudged Hank’s pants, demanding attention that he quickly received. A family, both men thought.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Unfortunately, I did not have time to add everything, so I will be adding more in time. For now, hope you enjoyed! Special shoutout to Anifanatical for being amazing and putting all of this together!
> 
> I had a lot of fun working on this with MaxImproving, of whom was super patient! And gave me SO MANY IDEAS and provided so much of the content! Thank you for reading, and I hope you enjoyed reading and checking out the wonderful art!!! Please see the [Twitter Thread](https://twitter.com/MaxImproving/status/1167971928067325958) here for the fantastic additional pictures MaxImproving did!!


End file.
